It's Just a Nightmare You Wish
by Wellingtonboots
Summary: Harry Potter isn't a Potter but a Riddle and the heir of Lord Voldermort. Will he still fight for the light or will he accept his inheritance?
1. A vital discovery

AN: I hope you like this story, the beginning is a bit mysterious but you'll work it out. My first fic.  
  
DISCLIAMER: I don't own any of the characters and make no money from writing this  
  
It's Just a Nightmare - You Wish  
  
  
  
Dumbledore sat dejected in his office. He really was getting on in his years, even though most people thought he was still the young hero who had defeated the last Dark Lord. Ever since the Tri-wizard Tournament he had felt like an overstretched elastic band and now he felt even more stretched. Lord Voldermort had mercilessly tortured his spy, Severus Snape, for arriving late at his "birthday party". However the Dark Lord wasn't stupid enough to waste on of his cleverest followers, even if he wasn't the most loyal. So Snape was now an exremely valuable spy for the Light. Being the cunning person he was, Snape had managed to pick up a few details about Lord Voldermort that were enough to scare even Godric Gryffindor. On Snape's request Dumbledore had done a parental test on the Boy-Who-Lived in complete secrecy, using one of Harry's blood samples from the hospital wing. The result was more horrifying than shocking.  
  
The most powerful wizard alive sat at his desk staring at the piece of parchment before him that clearly stated the impossible. How was it possible? Lily must have known and if she did she would have come to him straight away. However Lily might have been mistaken, thought the boy was James', or maybe she was too scared to tell. Either way, Harry wasn't a Potter.  
  
Snape had taken the truth extremely lightly unlike the rest of the Order of The Phoenix's council. He was probably expecting it all along. Now the truth was out there was only one other question on everyone's mind, "what do we do about it". Dumbledore was sure that Harry knew nothing of it and probably won't unless someone broke it to him, which was highly unlikely, as there were only 50 people on the light side who knew. However it was a lot harder to say the same for Lord Voldermort as he had sources everywhere now and it was only a matter of time before he put two and two together.  
  
A loud crash from his fireplace and an extremely undignified, sooty Snape climbing to his feet loudly interrupted Dumbledore's train of thought. Snape didn't even try to even appear remotely respectable and immediately burst into an explanation,  
  
"Dumbledore! I just been to a Death Eater meeting and. and . he knows! He knows all about it! He knows Harry is his son! Found out yesterday. you've got to hurry he's attacking Privet Drive any minute!" Dumbledore's face grew dark,  
  
"Quickly summon the order, everyone in the order. We must stop him from seeing Harry. I know what he's going to do and the barrier is totally useless against it! Go! Quick!" yelled the Headmaster and they both disappeared down the spiral staircase. 


	2. How Ironic

AN: Thanks for all your reviews. Hope you like this chapter.  
  
It's Just a Nightmare - You Wish 2  
  
Harry Potter, or maybe Riddle, sat in the playing field opposite Number 4 Privet Drive despite all the warning he had had from his friends about leaving the safety barrier. This was where he usually stayed to avoid the Dursleys. It wasn't all that bad these days, as Dudley's gang had taken to haunting the park instead. They had given up their hobby of "Harry Hunting" since they heard about the "Ton Toffee". Infact all the Dursleys were treating Harry like a rather large, timed nuclear bomb. Although he didn't particularly mind this treatment, Harry had begun to get very lonely ever since Hedwig left to deliver a letter to Ron. So now he spent most of his time seeped in his own thoughts. The overwhelming guilt of Cedric's death threatened to overpower him constantly and a new worry for his friends had begun to develop sine Lord Voldermort's return.  
  
Harry sat shifting through his memories from his school year, the tournament, the fourth champion, the media scandals, Snuffle's return, Cedric's death and Lord Voldermort's return. How could humans be so cruel and heartless? But Voldermort could hardly be called human can he? Harry's thoughts shifted back to the Chamber of Secrets and Tom Riddle. He had commented on how a like they had been and come to think of it he was very like Tom Riddle. They even looked alike! Which Harry found very unsettling. Apart from appearances they shared the same wand core and they were both parslemouths. They had many other similarities, which Harry didn't want to think about at all. It was unnerving to find oneself so similar with one's archenemy. But why was he so like Tom Riddle? Why was he a parslemouth when only the bloodline of Slytherin could speak it? Harry had done some limited research on the art of parslemouth over the holidays from his textbooks and found that the talent of parslemouthsum to a snake was only found in Slytherin's bloodline. Harry was very shock about it, could he, Harry Potter, a Gryffindor, be of Slytherin bloodline? However he didn't have long to dote on the question before the noises erupted around him.  
  
They were hard to describe but they were a cross between the noises a food bender makes with the lid off and the noises bones make when they pop out of their sockets only louder. Harry didn't recognise the sounds, as he had never heard a hundred wizards apparating at once. He immediately jumped to his feet and made a beeline for the house. However the Death Eaters were faster and before he knew it 20 or so masked men had dragged him back behind a thick patch of trees at the edge of the field. Harry struggled desperately but it was no use, he was still a scrawny, underweight 15-year- old boy. The men let go of him when they had reached a large oak tree where a large crowd of Death Eaters had gathered. Harry tried in vain to scream but no sound escaped his throat. He hoped desperately that someone might notice the huge crowd of Death Eaters in the trees. However no one came to his rescue. The Death Eaters, to Harry's surprise did nothing to restrain him to the tree. In fact they had formed a large circle around him like they did in the graveyard. Harry could hear numerous greetings being called as the Death Eaters met up with their friends. Harry heard such names as Malfoy, Avery, Nott and, to his disgust, Wormtail crop up in their conversations. They were treating the whole affair as if it was some sort of a welcome party. Suddenly a Death Eater came out from the crowd with a large, highly decorated chair with a large red cushion in the middle. Harry presumed it was for Voldermort but why would Voldermort need a chair? Surely he wasn't going to give a huge speech before he killed Harry? Or was Voldermort growing old? The Death Eater placed the chair behind Harry and clearly indicated that he should sit on it. Harry eyed the chair for a moment, it looked fairly harmless but it could have been cursed to put crucio on the person who sat on it.  
  
A sudden hush fell upon the gathered Death Eaters, which could only mean one thing: Lord Voldermort had arrived. Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck tense up. Large beads of cold sweat had gathered on his forehead. Why had he been so stupid to ignore all the warning about leaving the house! The waiting Death Eaters parted and a tall, skeletal man with red eyes walked into the large circle.  
  
"Well Harry how nice to see you again. It is so good to see you aren't afraid of me. This will make my job much more easier." Said Lord Voldermort fondly. His new tone of voice made Harry tenser. "So my dear boy, do take a seat, how have you been since I last saw you? How are the muggles treating you?" Harry's jaw dropped down like a tonne of lead. Lord Voldermort showing concern for him? Maybe it was just part of the speech Voldermort was going to give before he killed Harry in the worst possible way. "Well?" asked Voldermort in his doting parent tone. At this Harry snapped out of his astonishment and shut his mouth.  
  
"I wouldn't bother Voldermort if I were you. Some one will defeat you one day in the very near future." Said Harry with a determined air.  
  
" But you're not me, Harry, but you could be. How would you like to live a life of luxury, have anything you want and much more? I could help you become the most powerful wizard ever. Those daft professors at school have been holding you back no doubt. Think about it Harry, think about it."  
  
"You can't tempt me into joining you! And besides you can't give me what I want! Because I want my parents and you killed them!" Cried Harry.  
  
"Ah, but Harry, my boy, I can give you a family, in fact you already have a family." Replied Voldermort. Harry stared back with naked hatred. How could Voldermort be so inhuman to kill his parents then pretend he still had a family? But could Voldermort mean his grandparents? Harry had never known ay of his grandparents and it was just possible that he might have some other family. However they were probably like the Dursleys, as they hadn't stepped in when he was sent to his aunt and uncle.  
  
"What do you mean? Do I have grandparents?"  
  
" No Harry, you don't but you do have a father."  
  
" No my dad's dead all because of you!" screamed Harry.  
  
"My dear boy, it looks like Dumbledore has kept you in the dark then, as he did with me. Harry, when I attacked Godric's Hollow none of your parents died."  
  
"What do you mean?" Harry blurted out.  
  
"Well, it's rather ironic really. I'm sure you are quite familiar with my early life but do you know what I did after I left Hogwarts?"  
  
"You became the monster you are now!"  
  
"Not quite Harry but close. After I left Hogwarts I went to postgraduate school, which is the muggle equivalent of a university, for 2 years. Then I sought after the Dark Arts. For twenty years I travelled the world and sought after all the great dark arts master. However my funds were limited and I went back to England to learn about the political situation there. I married a wealthy pure bloodied woman but I did love her. I started my take over of Britain just after I married her. Lots of wizards wanted to see their kind restored to their former glory and where willing to back me up. I soon gathered hundreds of followers and started to attack the ministry. At first they didn't take me seriously as they thought that a new dark messiah couldn't rise so soon after the last one fell. However those fools couldn't have been more wrong I was the dark messiah and I was gaining more power by the minute. It took a long time for the Ministry to grasp the full threat I was posing, which suited me very well. After they did start taking me seriously I had gathered over 10000 followers and had taken over half of Britain. Not that it was a difficult job; most people took very little persuading. " 11 years into my reign, my wife bore me a son, the children of prophesy. My wife died some hours after childbirth and one of my faithful Lucius became guardian of my son. I, of cause, was away at the time and heard nothing of it. However Dumbledore's stupid order got wind of it and attacked Lucius' house. They managed to kidnap my son and took him away. They successfully hid him with the Potters. I only knew that Dumbledore had kidnapped my son. I swore that I would find him and have revenge. I got that in the form of several murders of the old fool's friends and family. However I was defeated by the son I was so desperate to find. I'm sure you know the rest from there Harry. You know, I named you Alexander." Harry's eyes nearly popped out of his head when Voldermort finished. He felt like screaming but couldn't because his throat was too dry. Lord Voldermort, his father? "Harry, if you don't believe me, have a look at your birth certificate."  
  
Lord Voldermort handed Harry a piece of paper and Harry noticed it was a genuine magical birth certificate because the letters radiated a blue light and looked 3D. Birth certificates were unalterable and fraud proof. Harry stared at his birth certificate:  
  
Alexander Tom Riddle / Harold James Potter*  
  
Born: 31 July 1981 Parents: Tom Marvalo Riddle & Marie Slayser Riddle / James William Potter & Lily Evans Potter* Wizard Status: pure blood * These identities were assumed when Alexander was brought into the care of the Potters. They are not his blood family. His biological parents are Tom Riddle and Marie Riddle  
  
Harry stared dumb struck at the certificate. It was impossible and yet there it was written on paper. Harry felt his heart skip a few beats and his hands began to shake.  
  
"No you're lying! You're lying your not my dad! My dad's James Potter! You murdered him! It's a fraud!" screamed Harry.  
  
"Alright then I shall prove it to you." Voldermort raised his wand to Harry's eye level and before Harry could react, muttered, "Glamorie Discarte." Nothing happened but Voldermort held a mirror up to Harry's face and he saw Tom Riddle's reflection. Harry felt like he was going to faint, it all added up. His head began to spin and he stared back at Voldermort,  
  
"So.. so you're my. my dad!" muttered Harry.  
  
"Yes Harry, I am you're father," said Voldermort as if he was addressing a five year old. "So do you want to come with me now Harry? You can have a family; you can have a father. It's what you always wanted."  
  
"N-n-n-no, you're evil!" cried Harry, backing away from Voldermort. However Voldermort was quicker and he grabbed Harry's hand. Harry felt the unmistakeable feeling of being in two places at once and then he blacked out.  
  
  
  
AN: sorry it's not a dramatic ending but things will get more exciting in the next chapter. Please R+R, at least 5 more for another chapter. 


	3. Dark Lord in Training?

It's Just a Nightmare - You Wish 3  
  
Harry woke up feeling extremely comfortable and relaxed. He was lying in a king-sized, four-poster bed. The covers were of Slytherin green and the bed sheet was Slytherin silver. Well what would you expect from Lord Voldermort? Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes. Sunlight filtered through the stain glass windows making odd patterns on the thick, black carpet. The room was lavishly furbished with highly decorated upholstery. There was an oak desk with a leather armchair in front and an old fashioned wardrobe, which looked like it would fetch a lot at an antique sale. Under the stain glass windows was a large, green, leather couch and beside that stood a sturdy bookcase filled with thick, leather bound, volumes which looked like they had been read recently.  
  
Harry rubbed his head and tried to recall what happened the previous day. He couldn't remember much just being told that he was the son of the Dark Lord. He was so shocked by the news that he hadn't been prepared when Voldermort grabbed him. He had blacked out a second after. Harry looked disapprovingly around the room. Voldermort was obviously filthy rich and had no sense of colour. In all the room look more suitable for a vampire. Well Voldermort did look a bit like one. Harry climbed out of bed. He was wearing a pair of unmistakable Slytherin pajamas, how ironic. Harry searched around for his old clothes but they were nowhere in sight, so he decided to try the wardrobe. It was filled with black and green robes that fitted him perfectly. Great, now he looked like a Slytherin but that was better than wondering round in Slytherin pajamas. He found some Nike trainer in the wardrobe to his surprise and put them on. Lord Voldermort knew what trainers were? Now that Harry was fully dresses he decided to confront Voldermort. He walked out of the room, his feet made no noise on the soft, furry carpet. The door opened to a huge corridor with highly decorated walls and ceilings. However the paintings and cravings were of various dark magic animals, mostly snakes entwining themselves around painted trees and several people. The most common image was of a snake slowly strangling a lion, which Harry thought was rather stupid. He walked briskly down the corridor and turned into another and another. He carried on like this for what seemed to be hours. Where was Voldermort? Surely he wouldn't leave Harry Potter, or rather Alexander Riddle, in his castle all alone!  
  
Suddenly he heard a faint voice from behind him. It definitely not human and yet he could understand it. Harry spun round and saw, Nagini, Voldermort's pet snake.  
  
"Little master, I am glad to see you awake. Come with me and I will show you to the dinning room where his Lordship is," hissed the snake. Harry scowled but followed it nonetheless as it slithered away in the opposite direction. The snake slithered down two more elaborately decorated corridors and halted in front of a set of large, oak doors with snakes craved all over it. "Please step inside, little master." Hissed Nagini. Harry stepped inside the cavernous dining room. It was surprisingly bright and had more cheerful paintings on the walls. This was due to the large row of windows along one of the walls, which had been cleaned recently. In the center of the room was a long, polished table with tall backed chairs along the sides and in one of the chairs sat Lord Voldermort. He was as frightening as ever in his dark green robes and his tall pointed hat. He had obviously started breakfast some time ago as his plate was nearly empty.  
  
"Ah Alex, or would you prefer to be called Harry?" asked Voldermort. "Come and sit down to some breakfast, you look very pale."  
  
"I don't know what you're playing at Voldermort, or would you rather be called Dad?" snorted Harry, "but I bet the order's looking for me right now!"  
  
"Yes your quite right, they are looking for you and I would rather be called my lord," replied Voldermort lightly.  
  
"I think you're really cowardly because you only dare to attack the harmless. I'd like to see you try taking on Hogwarts or Professor Dumbledore."  
  
"Alex, my boy, that will all come later but do have some breakfast," said Voldermort and Harry felt himself being dragged into the chair opposite to Voldermort. He was forced to sit down and the pressure subsided. A large silver plate and cutlery appeared in front of Harry, which was filled to the brim with wizard foods. He stared down at his plate wondering whether to eat or not. He was extremely hungry as the Dursleys hardly fed him but on the other hand it was more than likely that Voldermort had put something in the food. Harry looked back at Voldermort and studied his expression. It was simple, relaxed and there was no sign of any triumph. Besides if Voldermort really wanted to harm him why not do it in front of his Death Eaters and show how defenseless Harry really was instead of spiking his food. Harry dug into his pumpkin pie with elfberry sauce first. Mmm. it was delicious enough to rival the food at Hogwarts. He then went onto his orenganmi steak and gulash, which tasted just as good. After he finished the plate and cutlery disappeared and Voldermort stood up meaningfully. "Now onto more pressing matters,"  
  
"What do you mean? What are you going to do with me?" demanded Harry.  
  
"Patience Alex," answered Voldermort. As he lead Harry through numerous corridors. They finally stopped in front of a golden set of doors, which looked like giants had made them. The doors automatically opened to reveal a huge room full of waiting Death Eaters. The masked men parted to make way for their lord and most muttered greetings. Harry thought he recognized some of the voices to be Crabbe and Goyle senior. However he did not have time to ponder long as Voldermort lead him to a raised platform with a throne like chair in the center, which Voldermort leisurely sat in. Harry unconsciously moved towards him as the Death Eaters reformed and he caught a glimpse of a triumphant smirk. Suddenly the double doors swang open and two unmasked Death Eater stormed in. One of them was Lucius Malfoy and the other was someone Harry had desperately hopped for, Severus Snape. They both came up onto the platform and knelt before Voldermort. "Rise both of you," said Voldermort, "what new do you have?"  
  
"My lord I have tracked down Arabelle Figg and are preparing a team to apprehend her before the order knows," stated Lucius.  
  
"My lord I have talked to Dumbledore, he is frantic and so is the order. They don't seem to have any other weapons at hand. My lord Dumbledore hasn't been able to track us and has no idea of our whereabouts," said Snape in his usually classroom tone.  
  
"Good, good now I have an announcement to make," said Voldermort with a smirk. "My loyal Death Eaters, you may have noticed that we have a guest. Those of you who are not so senior may not know who he is. He is Alexander Riddle, my son and heir, better known as Harry Potter." Some of the masked figures gasped in surprise but others were untouched, presumably the more senior. "Alex will be trying out for himself what it is like to be a Death Eater for today and at the end of it he will give me answer as to whether he will join us or not," announced Voldermort, "so Alex what do you want to do first?" Harry wasn't too shocked as he figured that Voldermort would try to entice him into joining the Dark Order.  
  
"I would rather like to play quidditch and stop calling me Alex," answered Harry, wondering if he would be crucioed. However Voldermort laughed,  
  
"Very witty, Harry. Seen as you don't know a lot about the dark arts lets try the Unforgivables, do crucio, it's my favourite."  
  
"But that'll land me in Azkaban!" exclaimed Harry. This time the entire hall erupted in laughter.  
  
"Just pick anyone you like and cast the spell,"  
  
"I haven't gotta wand," said Harry  
  
"There is one in your pocket," Harry hesitated and took it out, wondering what would happen to him if he refused to do it. He pulled it out and looked at the crowd it was so wrong to just torture someone randomly. "Do you want me to choose for you Harry? How about Lucius here, wouldn't it be great to tell Draco how you tortured his father? Or maybe Severus, I dare say it would be fun to tell all your friends how loudly he screamed?" asked Voldermort. Harry stared at the two men, Malfoy had an unreadable expression on his face and Snape looked positively murderous.  
  
"I don't think it's necessary to risk it. After all I really don't want to break it to Malfoy that his father's been tortured by a 15 year old. Neither do I want to be scrubbing out caldrons every night 'til I graduate." Said Harry. Voldermort, who had somehow acquired a sense of humour since his down fall laughed even harder than before.  
  
"Don't worry about those trivial things, Harry, just do it. Think about the power it will give you, think about the pleasure," enticed Voldermort. Harry lifted his wand and pointed it at Malfoy; the curse was on his lips. Suddenly a young Death Eater burst into the room,  
  
"My Lord!" he cried, "The order are here, Dumbledore and all, about fifty of them! Attacking the barriers!" 


	4. Potion Trouble

AN: thanks for all the reviews. I will try and update sooner in future.  
  
It's Just a Nightmare 4  
  
Harry felt his heart contract. Dumbledore was here at last, but how did he expect to win with only 50 aurors. Maybe Dumbledore had underestimated Voldermort? Oh this was really bad! However he was quite glad he didn't have to curse Malfoy.  
  
"Quick strengthen the barriers! Make sure no one has entered the grounds! Use the Revealing Curse incase some are invisible!" ordered Voldermort. Harry felt relieved, maybe most of the order was here, only invisible. "Severus take the best Cursers and go the front, I trust you will not fail me. Lucius take Harry to the dungeons and execute the plan we discussed earlier. Do not fail me!"  
  
Before Harry could react Lucius grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him out of the hall by a side door.  
  
"Let go of me!" cried Harry as he tried to grab hold of his wand. However he was instantly disarmed when he got hold of it.  
  
"Don't struggle with me, Alex. The more obedient you are the less pain you will have to go through," said Lucius in his most silky tone.  
  
"What are you going to do with me?" asked Harry frantically.  
  
"Alex, patience certainly isn't your strong point but you will have a long time to learn it,"  
  
"What are you talking about!"  
  
"Patience," said Lucius with the classic Malfoy smirk, which could only mean one thing: Harry would be in a lot of pain soon.  
  
"I hope you like Azkaban Malfoy, you'll be in there soon!"  
  
"You won't be saying that for long, infact you won't be saying anything for a long time," He dragged a struggling Harry into what seemed to be a potions lab. "Vini Aparte!" cried Lucius and Harry was bond tightly in vines. "Now which one was it? Ah, here it is, open up Alex." Lucius picked up a glass vial with a sickly yellow liquid in and grabbed Harry's jaw roughly. He squeezed it open and poured the content into Harry's mouth. Harry felt as if his insides were on fire and his lungs contracting. His vision dimmed and he felt his skin tightening over his flesh. It was worse than crucio! Poor Harry would have screamed but he could no long fell his throat or chest. Suddenly it was all over.  
  
Lucius Malfoy bent down and removed the tangle of clothes around the little baby. He was really quite cute with chubby face and gorgeous green eyes,  
  
"Well, Alex, you were saying?" 


	5. Dumbledore Dead

It's Just a Nightmare 5a  
  
Lucius Malfoy picked up the squirming baby and disapparated out of the dungeon. He apparated in a gargantuan marble entrance hall lighted by several diamond chandeliers. At the end of the hall, two huge, sweeping staircases led up to the first floor.  
  
"Narcissus, I'm home," said Lucius Malfoy and his voice echoed loudly around the cavernous hall. Almost immediately a set of hurried footsteps came pattering down the stairs. A very pretty woman of about thirty came into view. Her beauty was enhanced by a mountain of makeup, which she had plastered onto her face although there was no need.  
  
"Hello dear, you're back early," she commented with some disapproval, "and what's that thing in your arms?"  
  
"Narcissus, the order attacked the castle and we used the plan," informed Malfoy. Narcissus looked like someone had just hit her over the head with a pancake. "Now Narcissus, take the baby to the room you prepared earlier," commandeered Malfoy.  
  
"Fine, dear, what ever you want," muttered Narcissus sarcastic and grabbed Harry as if he was a sack of potatoes. Harry instantly started to cry.  
  
"Oh and shut the brat up while you're at it," said Malfoy and he stormed off to his office. Narcissus looked with disgust at the bundle in her arms as she pulled out her wand and silenced Harry. She carried him upstairs into a large, bare room with a small cot in the middle. She put the squirming Harry in there and slammed the door. Why was her husband always bringing home trouble? She wouldn't have married him if it weren't for her parents and his money. She generally lived a comfortable, high classed life. Going to parties was her main occupation, preparing for them was her hobby; she didn't really like the party. Her other occupations were, keeping her husband happy and making sure her son had a constant supply of sweets. She was a clever woman but her cleverness had never been of much use to her; it was her looks that got her where she was now.  
  
Lucius Malfoy sat in his office behaving like a five year old deprived of a treat. Why had Voldermort sent Snape to the front line and not him? He wasn't pretending to be a better curser than Snape but he was much better at organization; something Snape had never been good at, which was why he had lost his girl to Potter. He was also more favoured than the greasy git but he had to keep the brat.  
  
Malfoy's sulking was suddenly disturbed by two people apparating into his room, one was Snape, and the other was Voldermort. They both had identical triumphant smirks on their faces.  
  
"My Lord, how did you do?"  
  
"All comes later Lucius, where is he?" demanded Voldermort  
  
"Oh, my lord he is upstairs sleeping. I must say it was an ingenious plan,"  
  
"Well get him down here, Lucius," ordered Voldermort. Lucius immediately called for the house elf to bring Harry downstairs. The baby's face was red from screaming and his arms were bruised from where Narcissus had gripped him too hard. Voldermort eyed the baby and picked him up. The baby instantly stopped crying and snuggled up to the Dark Lord. "Hello Alex,"  
  
"Da-da," muttered Harry trying to reach for Voldermort's wand.  
  
"My Lord, what happened?" asked Malfoy again.  
  
"Oh yes, Severus, tell him,"  
  
"We defeated the order, five of them were killed and loads injured including Black and Lupin. We also cursed Dumbledore,"  
  
"Ah yes, the dithering old fool, I shot him with the killing curse, died on the spot,"  
  
  
  
AN: Will the wizarding world collapse into darkness without Dumbledore or Harry? 10 more reviews to find out. 


	6. Voldermort's Fix

It's Just a Nightmare 6  
  
Lord Voldermort smiled down at the gurgling baby in his cruel arms. Harry really did trust him didn't he? The baby looked up at him as he mused, with the most trusting gaze. They were back at Voldermort's castle, in Voldermort's private chamber that he now shared with Alex or Harry. Everything was going according to plan and even better. Dumbledore was now out of the way and so was most of the order. Now the Demetors had joined his ranks, more and more people were willing to support him.  
  
He looked down at Alex again, what a perfect killer the boy would make, so powerful, even more powerful than himself. All he had to do was give the boy the right training but that would take years, he needed him now. He'd ask Severus to whisk up a potion to make Alex 15 again but with no memory of his former self. He summoned Nagini and instructed her to bring Snape into his chambers.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Meanwhile at the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters chaos reigned supreme. Sirius Black was desparatley casting all manners of healing charms on Remus Lupin and the other casualties. Madam Pomfrey, McGonagall and Moody were trying to revive Dumbledore.  
  
It wasn't much of a shock to everyone that Dumbledore had survived the Killing Curse. He was the most powerful wizard after Harry Potter. He was now in a stable condition and if he pulled through the next 24 hours he would be just fine. Dumbledore was by no means the only casualty, more than half of the team had been cursed. The big problem was that Lord Voldermort had invented these curses and no one knew how to deal with them. Most of them had grotesque effects such has turning a person's stomach inside out.  
  
To Sirius Black nothing in the world mattered more to him than where Harry was and his safety. The members of the team who had snuck into the castle didn't find a trace of Harry but some said they had heard a boy crying for help and then screaming. People were beginning to speculate whether Harry was dead. Black himself refused to believe anyone's word unless he saw the proof. If Harry really was dead than why didn't Voldermort brag about it in front of him?  
  
"Padfoot, I'm sure Harry's just fine. Maybe he managed to escape Voldermort again," said a hoarse voice form behind him.  
  
"I hope so Moony, I really do," Sirius muttered.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Snape walked down the misshapen corridor to Lord Voldermort's room. Personally he detested all the elaborate decoration but of course he dared not tell Voldermort. Snape paused as he stood outside the door, why was Voldermort summoning him at this hour? Surely he hadn't found out Snape was a spy from one of the order? After all even Black would keep that a secret no matter how appealing the idea of Snape being tortured to death was. Maybe Voldermort was going to reward him? But Voldermort only rewarded people in Death Eater meetings. Snape decided what ever the matter was he would find out when he stepped inside. He cautiously knocked on the door. Not loud but loud enough to be important and not hesitant but enough to tell Voldermort that he did fear him. Snape had perfected this knock as soon as he joined Voldermort's ranks; every Death Eater knew how to do it, after all they did value their lives.  
  
"Enter," hissed a voice from somewhere inside the room. It reverberated around the vast corridor eerily. Snape vigilantly opened the door and stepped inside. What he saw shocked him a bit. Lord Voldermort was cuddling Harry Potter or rather Alexander Riddle. The little baby was gurgling away happily. He seemed to trust the serpentine creature with his soul.  
  
"My Lord you called," said Snape eyeing Nagini, he had never liked the reptile and he was sure the feeling was mutual.  
  
"Yessss Severusssss, I did," hissed the red-eyed plastic-surgery-gone- wrong-victim. Voldermort always seemed to hiss more when that blasted excuse of a ten foot live rope was around. "I have an order to give you. I need Alex to help me now so I want you to brew a potion which will make him his original age again but he must have no memories of his former self. If possible, make the boy think he is my son as well, you may go now," Snape felt himself breath a sigh of relief but then he felt as if a large stone had just dropped onto his chest, how would he make a potion that would make Harry think as if he had been bought up by Voldermort? When ever Voldermort said if possible he meant successes or I shall feed you to my ten foot waste of oxygen.  
  
"Severus, fancy seeing you here at this time," came a sly calculated voice from behind him. Snape spun round to find himself face to face with Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" demanded Snape.  
  
"Temper, temper. I was merely walking you know, not against any rules," stated Malfoy with a smirk. Of course everyone knew that wondering around Voldermort's chambers was dangerous but not for Lucius Malfoy. "You still haven't answered my first question, what are you doing here?"  
  
"For your information the master has requested me to brew an important potion for him. Now if you don't mind Mr. Malfoy, I'll be going," snapped Snape and stalked away with a swirl of his black cloak. That ought to get Malfoy really jealous, he hated missing out on important things. Lucius Malfoy glared with hatred at Snape's back as it disappeared, so he wanted to play it big did he, well Malfoys were also ready. As silently as a snake he slithered after Snape hiding in the shadows when ever necessary. He would find out what Snape was up to.  
  
* * * *  
  
Sirius Black stared at the cracking flames in Dumbledore's office. The old man was really stretching himself too hard. It had only been a week since he had recovered and now his was back to work again as if nothing had happened. Sirius sighed, no word had come what so ever of Harry but he refuse to give up hope. His godson had been through a lot worse and pulled through just fine. Harry wasn't dead. He had been called in for a meeting and he was early.  
  
Remus, who had just come in, abruptly broke Sirius' train of thought.  
  
"Hey Padfoot, how are you?"  
  
"Fine Moony," replied Sirius with as much happiness as he could muster.  
  
"Look Padfoot, everything will be just fine. Harry is a very powerful wizard, he survived the killing curse once, he can do it again."  
  
"It's not really that I'm worrying about. Oh Moony what if they hurt him. You saw what kind of curses they put on some of the aurors, what if they do that to Harry?"  
  
"Padfoot my friend, Harry's been through many hardships but he's pulled through like a hero, in fact he is a hero. He's gonna be fine."  
  
"I feel so guilty though. I knew those stupid muggles were no use! I just feel like I've let him down, I should have been there for him. I should have been there for him when he faced all those terrifying things. What sort of a godfather am I!" screamed Sirius.  
  
"I know how you fell but I have some new that will make the pain considerably less," came a calm familiar voice.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore," said Remus  
  
"Hello, Remus, Sirius. I've finally received word from Severus."  
  
"What!" cried both of them together.  
  
"Harry is safe and well. It seems that Voldermort turned him into a baby to avoid us finding him and sent him to Lucius Malfoy's house. However afterwards Voldermort fetched him again and now plans on turning Harry into a Death Eater. He wanted Severus to make a potion that would make Harry 15 again and have no memory of his former self. I called you two here because I wanted you to be first to hear any news," explained Dumbledore.  
  
"Oh, I'm gonna kiss the slime ball!" screamed Sirius in delight.  
  
"Now we must tell the rest of the order and work on a plan to save Harry before it is too late," said Dumbledore grimly.  
  
* * * * Snape started a fire underneath his caldron. He just had a brain wave. He knew exactly what to do. He would use a mixture of the Imperius potion and the Proxium Annual potion. The Imperius potion made the drinker believe anything the potion brewer told him in the first 5 hours after he drank it and the Proxium Annual potion simply turned the drinker into what ever age the brewer wanted him to be. However he would make sure the Imperius potion didn't work and he would explain to Harry how to act like it had. Snape carefully chopped his guazerrier stomach into equal pieces. He was so involved in potion brewing he didn't notice a dark shadow sneek in through the door.  
  
Lucius Malfoy chuckled at his own cleverness. He had an invisibility pendant on. It was in no way as good as the cloak but it worked all the same and now all he had to do was wreck Snape's potion. Of course he had heard the entire conversation between Voldermort and Snape. He ideally wondered if the potion Snape was brewing was for Voldermort. By the looks of it it was, dreamless sleep potion didn't contain any belladonna. Malfoy watched patiently from his dark secluded corner. Good, Snape was stirring it now; this meant it was nearly finished. He knew a bit about potions himself and he would have been top of the class at it if that slimy git hadn't been there. He knew that a potion was at it's most unstable just before it boiled, that was why you had to stir it so that the ingredients blended more smoothly. All Malfoy had to do now was add some sugar. Sugar was a potion brewer's worst enemy because sugar could make almost any potion utterly useless. It was also unreactive so it never caused explosions, in fact you couldn't tell that the potion had been wrecked until it doesn't work because sugar, when added to magical potions would become tasteless. Malfoy carefully slithered to the cauldron while Snape's back was turned and slipped a teaspoon of sugar into the caldron. He chucked silently at his smartness again but what he didn't realise was that some of the potion form his invisibility pendant had dropped into the potion along with the sugar. All invisibility gadgets worked because they had been processed or carried invisibility potions inside them and Malfoy's had a leek. He slipped out of the room unnoticed as before.  
  
Snape turned back to his potion and blew the fire out. He carefully ladled some into a glass vile and stopped it. He decided that he didn't need to it at all and made for Voldermort's rooms. As he stepped into the chamber he noticed to his surprise it was daybreak already. Voldermort sat at the desk writing something and Harry was sleeping peacefully in his cot.  
  
"My lord I have brewed it," said Snape  
  
"Good," replied Voldermort and picked Harry up. Harry who was really annoyed at being disturbed from his beauty sleep started to howl. "Hurry up and feed it to him!" snapped Voldermort.  
  
"Yes my lord," muttered Snape and poured the entire vial into Harry's mouth. There was a sudden pop and Harry disappeared. Voldermort was so shocked he dropped invisible Harry. However he wasn't crying; in fact they had no ideal where he was.  
  
"You foul what is the meaning of this!" bellowed Voldermort.  
  
"My lord someone has tampered with my potion. I will go back and examine the potion," stated Snape with some difficulty, maybe his useless Imperius potion had gone wrong. He knew that one of the side effects of the Imperius potion made the drinker's former memories much clearer if the brewer didn't start feeding them information straight away, but surely he hadn't done it wrong? Besides only belladonna could make Imperius useless and he had added that; not even sugar could wreck it. "My lord I am sure he is still here though," added Snape.  
  
"I know I can smell him," said Voldermort, " you my go." Snape breathed a sigh of relief and ran back to his dungeons.  
  
AN: What' happened to Harry and why isn't he crying? Will they find him or will Harry escape. HINT HINT about his mind. 10 reviews before next chapter. 


	7. Snape uncovered!

It's Just a Nightmare 7  
  
"Alex, where are you?" asked Voldermort in a singsong voice. "Come out, daddy's got lots of nice things to eat." Harry didn't move, it was the most obvious thing to do but he couldn't. He sat paralised under the bed hoping that Voldermort might not find him. It was stupid really; it was only a matter of time before Voldermort found him. He had to MOVE! And NOW too. Harry got himself together and crawled at breakneck speed toward the end of the bed. He was nearly there, two feet. one foot. Suddenly two wires like arms grabbed his waist and hauled him out. Voldermort abviously couldn't see him but being part snake he could sense where Harry was. Voldermort easliy overpowered the struggling, invisible baby. He conjured up some vines, tied Harry up. He put the visibility charm onto Harry; untied him and laid him in a cot, which he had prepared for Harry.  
  
Snape hurried down the hallways to his lab. He needed to find out what went wrong with the potion. After all potion mistakes often had more than one side effect. He was so sure that he had done it right. The only thing that could possibly reverse the effects of belladonna, which he used to make sure the Imperius Potion didn't work, was lansumi-ushi a rare oriental potion ingredient used only to make Invisibility Potions. Snape's eyes suddenly lit up with his "putting-two-and-two-together" look. Yes, that was it! Someone wearing a leaky invisibility pendant was in his lab at the time he made the potion. That same person must have tried to wreck the potion by adding sugar but it only worked on the Proxium potion and not the Imperius potion. However some of the invisibility potion must have leaked into the potions, which made the Imperius potion work and made Harry invisible, but who would do that. Of course, Lucius Malfoy. Snape's brow darkened as he stepped into his lab, he needed to make another Proxium potion for Harry. He somehow had to make sure that Harry acted like he'd had his memory modified after he took the potion because he needed to smuggle Harry out of the castle. The best thing to do was to make sure he got Harry alone sometime and explain to him. However he wasn't sure at was possible, Voldermort seemed to be very protective of his so. Well, he could obviously offer to baby-sit Harry but that would make Voldermort very suspicious of him. Snape suddenly felt he had met a very ugly dead end. How was he going to get Harry out of the stupid mess the little brat had got himself into this time? Snape sighed and started to work on his potion.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
At the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters Sirius Black stared out of the large rectangular window. It had been three weeks and not further new had come form Snape or any other sources about Harry and Sirius was beginning to think that maybe Snape wasn't as trustworthy as Dumbledore made him out to be. The weather was bleak outside, the wind howled and snatched dying, browny-green leaves of trees. The ominous grey clouds hung over the tense countryside. A gust of wind surged through the open window and blew the paper off his cluttered desk. Sirius didn't even bother to pick them up but continued to stare into the bleak sky. Remus Lupin was seriously beginning to worry about his friend. Sirius hadn't eaten anything for days and he had acquired the haunted look that he had in Azkaban. Remus was also worried about Snape and Harry. No news had come for weeks from him. Could it have been possible that Snape has been caught? He hoped not anyway. However he knew just as well as everyone else that Voldermort was no fool and conning him was more dangerous than plunging your hand into a pond full of ravenous piranha. Voldermort wasn't the most merciful person on earth either and was probably torturing Harry right now. Remus didn't want to break it to Sirius but he knew that if they didn't rescue Harry quickly he might just be dead. Remus really didn't want to think about what Sirius would do if Harry died, after all Harry was what Sirius lived for. Remus signed and found himself wishing that Voldermort didn't exist, life would have been so much better. What could have been was no more.  
  
Professor Severus Snape, potions adept, potions master at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry was having a mental block. It wasn't the type when you forget how to spell what and then your best friend tells you. Apart from the fact that Snape had no friends; he had no intention of making any he couldn't ask anyone for help either because they would probably tell the Dark Lord. He wanted to escape with Harry from the hellhole that Voldermort called home. It wasn't the Riddle Mansion; it was a castle in the east midlands near Nottingham. Snape need to get out and tell Dumbledore the new developments and rescue Harry but he hadn't been able to come up with a sufficient excuse yet. The Dark Lord didn't fall for the I-left my-potions-ingredients-at Hogwarts excuse. Snape knew that Harry was okay, after all Voldermort did seem pretty fond of his son. Snape didn't have time to tell Dumbledore in the last conversation who Harry really was before some stupid new recruit had interrupted him. Snape sat stirring another batch of the potion Malfoy had wrecked. He need to get Harry alone when he drinks the potion or else the stupid boy would probably started blabbering about how nasty his dad was. Snape decided that he would tell Voldermort the effect of the potions and persuade him to leave Harry with Snape so that he could "fill" Harry's mind.  
  
Harry hissed in parsletongue at his father,  
  
"You cheating scum! I never thought you would sink so low! All because you can't stop the order! You are totally pathetic! I hate you!" Voldermort, however was unmoved by all this because plainly, he wasn't listening. He was thinking about the effects growing older would have on a person's memory. If he left Alex as he was now than Alex would probably forget everything by the time he was two. Natural memory modification would be a lot more effective than any spell or potion. Besides Voldermort felt that he already had enough support to hold the order at bay; he could easily outsmart those doddering fools at the ministry. He would tell the world that he had killed the famous Harry Potter and present them with the fake head of their "saviour"; that would dampen public moral. Meanwhile he would raise Alex to be his heir. Voldermort knew quite well that the road to immortality was a very long one and he might not reach the end so he needed Alex to carry on his work, to make the Slytherins rule supreme. It was the perfect plan and of course only his most trusted servants, Snape and Malfoy would know, as he didn't want some meagre spy to report it to the order.  
  
"Summon Snape and Malfoy," said Voldermort to Nagini. The poisonous green snake slithered off into the vast labyrinth of corridors. "So Alex how are we?" Baby Harry gurgled and spat at him. "Ah, I see you can't speak parslemouth unless you are within hearing distance of a snake. Well, you need more practise," cooed Voldermort. Harry continued to spit and Voldermort decided that he would rather have Alex spitting at him than cursing him in words. Suddenly two consecutive knocks were heard. "Come in," commanded Voldermort. Snape in his usual bat suit stepped in followed by a splendidly dressed Malfoy. He was wearing silk robes of Slytherin green, decorated with silver snakes embroidered with sliver thread.  
  
"Master," they both mumbled as they knelt down.  
  
"Rise men. I have a mission for you. I have decided that I shall keep Alex the way he is and let him grow out of it so Severus there is no need for you brew any more of your potion. Your task is to broadcast to the entire world that I have killed Harry Potter. Make sure the order and ministry know. Be ready with any proof they might want such as the body or head. Do not fail me!" instructed Voldermort.  
  
"Yes master," they both said in unison and hurried out of the room.  
  
"So, looks like we're stuck together again, Severus," commented Malfoy with a smirk.  
  
"No Lucius, I will go my way and you go yours," snapped Snape.  
  
"My, my you're very antisocial today. What's up old pal?" laughed Malfoy.  
  
"Mind your own business Malfoy," hissed Snape, his nostrils quivering.  
  
"Alright Severus, alright. You go blow you're top and I'll go get things started. See you around," with that Malfoy strutted down the hall. Snape made a dash for his dungeons, now that he had got rid of Malfoy he could talk in peace. He dashed down the cold stone corridors and paintings on the walls gave his suspicious looks. Snape kept his eyes peeled and his ears pricked for any sounds but he didn't hear or notice the black shadow that stalked him as he flew down the steps. Snape ran into his dungeon and opened a new pot of floo, his last. It was very dangerous to talk to the order here but it was the safest place in the castle. Every Death Eater knew that Snape didn't like intruders. His hand shook as he undid the lid, spilling some powered as he did so. He silently cursed himself for being so stupid. There was no one here but why did he have that horrible feeling that someone was watching his form the shadows. Snape looked around wildly but there was nothing out of the ordinary there. He turned back to the fire and through some floo in. The fireplaces in Voldermort's castle were talk only ones, which meant that no one could use them to come in or get out.  
  
"The order's headquarters," whispered Snape. Immediately he saw Sirius' head; Dumbledore's head and Remus' head appear in he view range. " Dumbledore Harry is Voldermort's son I couldn't tell you last time because." Snape was cut off as a thin white, manicured Hand grabbed his shoulder.  
  
"I always knew you weren't as loyal as you made yourself out to be!"  
  
AN: Cliffhanger! What's going to happen to poor Snape? Will he die? Will the order rescue Harry or will he save himself? Please R+R, thanks 


	8. Caught In the Act

AN: I apologises for not writing for so long. I've been very busy with exams and violin exams, as Dax should know. I just had a Geography test today and I think it took most of my IQ with it, so forgive me if it's rubbish.  
  
  
  
It's Just a Nightmare 8  
  
Before Malfoy could even react Snape swung around and cuffed him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Lucius heard a small crack as his jawbone split in half. Pain enough to rival crucio hit him and throbbed through his entire face. A large purple mark was beginning to form on his perfectly white skin. Suddenly he felt something hit him and he immediately blacked out. Snape quiet cast a stunning spell on him to make sure he really was knocked out. Slowly he moved Lucius' unconscious form into a large dark cupboard in the corner. He silently shoved the body into the cavernous cupboard and locked the door, pocketing the key.  
  
Snape slumped against the back wall. His sudden burst of adrenaline certainly had saved him. His heart began to calm down and his breathing became fairly regular. He snorted at himself. He had give himself perhaps 2 hours to escape with Harry because he knew that as soon as word came out he was a spy there would be no chance of rescuing Harry at all. Snape swiftly glanced at the potion, which was half done. A plan started to take shape in his mind. Snape rapidly added six table spoons of sugar and a couple of drops of blue food colouring to the potion. He stealthy ladled some into a flask and left the dungeons in a swirl of black clothes.  
  
Snape stalked through the dark, gothically decorated hallways to Voldermort's room, sweat was beginning to form on his brow. He quickly wiped it away before he even considered knocking on the large, grotesquely decorated, double doors. Snape did his best calculated knock and a blood curdling voice answered,  
  
"Come in Severusss," it hissed and Snape felt a clod shiver down his spine. Unwillingly, he opened the doors and stepped inside, into a brightly lit chamber. There was a huge four-poster bed decorated in Slytherin Green and silver with silk sheets. A large ornamented desk stood to one side of the surprising small chamber, but Snape knew it wasn't Voldermort's only chamber. The desk was littered with rolls of parchment and inkwells. What surprised Snape was the large cot beside the bed. It too had sheets of green and silver but Harry occupied it. He was very still, worryingly still.  
  
"My Lord, I have the potion but I will require a quite room with no distractions to that I can modify Ha.Alexander's memory," explained Snape in his most humble voice, which most people would consider pretty arrogant. However Voldermort chuckled his evil chuckle, he was used to Snape.  
  
"All right Severus, take him to your dungeons but I expect you to bring him back in 2 hours time," agreed Voldermort.  
  
"Of course, my lord," said Snape, trying not to express his shock in his voice. He immediately got up and crossed over to the cot to pick up Harry. He was sure his heart was going to burst open from anxiety. This was too easy, it really was. Voldermort wouldn't allow he to take Harry to the dungeons, he would rather have them somewhere where they could be heard. Could Voldermort have found out he was a spy or at least suspected him of being one. He could almost fell those red eyes boring into his back. Suddenly he felt very exposed. Snape bent down to pick up,  
  
"No Severus, let me do it," evil murmured. Voldermort gently picked up the baby with his spider like hands. Harry stirred a bit and then woke up. Snape couldn't help noticing how sweet and innocent the baby looked as Harry yawned and rubbed his eyes. He stared up at Severus and Voldermort with his large, emerald eyes.  
  
"Thank you my Lord," said Snape as Voldermort handed him the baby. Of course Snape had never held a baby in his life before and he was absolutely useless at it. He caught Harry in a very awkward and painful position. Harry started to scream at the top of his lungs, the sound would have made the most famous banshee terribly ashamed. Voldermort swiftly pried the baby form Severus' arms and gently rocked Harry backwards and forwards. The baby's face gradually paled again and he rubbed his eyes with his little fists.  
  
"Severus, would it effect anything if I came along?" hissed Voldermort giving Snape a rather suspicious stare.  
  
"I'm sorry my Lord but the modification will most likely go wrong if another person was in the room with him," answered Snape in his most professional voice. The Dark lord impatiently held up his hand, as he did not like being lectured.  
  
"Alright Severus but you be careful," reminded Voldermort.  
  
"Of course, my lord," answered Snape, trying to keep his nerves under control. Voldermort carefully handed Harry over, showing Snape how to hold him. Snape gingerly held the baby and stalked out of the room, swirling his cloak more than usual. It was his way of disguising fear. The black bat glided through the halls but instead of turning to go his lab he slipped into a small room opposite to the lab. This was actually his store cupboard where he kept his supply of hard to brew potions. Snape fumbled about a cupboard with one hand and tentatively held an irritated Harry in the other. Finally he produced a small vial full with something that looked like liquid emerald in it. Harry squirmed again,  
  
"Stop squirming, Potter, I'm trying to save your sorry behind!" hissed Snape, "You'll have to drink this invisibility potion and try not to move afterwards. I'm going to put you in a bag, it may be uncomfortable but for god's sake don't make a sound!" Harry nodded and gurgled. "Shut up, Potter. Now open wide." Snape carefully poured the potion into Harry's small mouth, making sure that not a drop was wasted. Immediately Harry disappeared but Snape could still feel him. Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching, not of one person but of many. Without even thinking, he stuffed Harry into a large black bag, designed for potions ingredients. The footsteps were coming closer and closer. Snape's heart made a leap for his mouth and his hand automatically reached for his wand. Beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead like little round icicles. His insides seemed to have disappeared as the measured footsteps became louder and louder. They halted outside the door and Snape nearly ate his tongue. He fingered his wand and moved his feet into duelling posture as the adrenaline rush began.  
  
"Severus, I know you're in there," came Lucius Malfoy's slow and sardonic drawl. "Come out with Alex unharmed or the Master will have your head on a silver platter," laughed Malfoy  
  
  
  
AN: I hope you like it; it's short with a cliffhanger. So please R+R. the next chapter will be up soon *crosses her fingers, if my nasty old teachers don't give me more tests. Oh I take it back I've got a Math exam on Wednesday but I'll try to get the next chapter up. WHY DONT MY TEACHERS GO ON STRIKE? THEN WE'LL REACH A CONSENSUS! Sorry had to annoy Dax. She hates it when I use a new word all the time 


	9. Welcome Back Harry

It's Just a Nightmare 9  
  
"Come out with Alex unharmed or the Master will have your head on a silver platter," laughed Malfoy. Snape's breath caught in his throat and he literally gagged. However being the cunning man he was, he got his act together. With trembling fingers he pulled out an amulet. It was a gold triangle with rounded edges. Expensive jewels decorated were arranged around a sphere in the middle of the triangle. The sphere contained a green, bubbling liquid. The whole amulet seemed to vibrate with power as Snape clutched it. Dumbledore had given him this amulet, for emergencies. It would take the wearer and anything he or she was in contacted with to a certain place immediately. It was quite unaffected by apparation wards but there was no way of covering up your tracks, unlike apparating. Snape's heart was pounding as he grabbed hold of his potions bag. Hesitantly he slowly lowered the amulet over his head and the last thing he heard was a loud bang.  
  
Harry felt as if he was falling into nothingness. He could feel his stomach falling into his mouth and his legs felt as if they had been wrenched off but he made no sound at all. They must be apparating, he thought, but wasn't apparating supposed to be quick? Suddenly the feeling seized and he could feel his legs being slammed back onto his body again. He could hear voices, but not clear enough to make out what the people were saying. He world seemed all muffled and he was beginning to feel claustrophobic. Harry's stomach was burning, as if he was being digested by himself. His head started to spin and the suffocating smell of belladonna was giving him the worst headache ever. Suddenly a large, worn hand reached into the blackness and pulled him out by the legs and he found himself face to face with Sirius Black.  
  
"Harry, what have they done to you?" asked Sirius in hysterics.  
  
"Goo.ugg.uff.ooooh.ahh..'irius!" was Harry's articulate reply.  
  
"What the hell has that monster done to my godson!" screamed Sirius with tears rolling down his eyes.  
  
"Now, now, Sirius, Harry's just fine. He's just been turned into a baby," comforted Remus, with a twinkle in his eyes. He was personally quite glad about Harry being a baby. Sirius would just love playing with him and come to think of it so would he. Suddenly Harry looked up at him and stretched out a tiny hand.  
  
"Poof Looin," he gurgled with delight. Harry had just noticed that there were other people in the room. There were quite a lot of people actually, Remus, Sirius, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Moody. There was also an old lady that reminded Harry of someone he knew but he couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
"Hello, Harry and how are you today?" asked the old lady. She had brownish hair that was turning white in some places. There were shallow lines on her face and her dark brown eyes, twinkled merrily. "Do you remember me? I'm Mrs Figg." Harry gagged and Sirius instantaneously plucked Harry from Mrs. Figg. He cradled Harry very protectively and glared at no one in particular.  
  
"Who's the father, Black," snarled Snape in an amused voice.  
  
"You know perfectly well who Harry's dad is!" snapped Sirius.  
  
"My, my, you are snappish today," stated Snape with a grin. Now he really knew how to get at Black.  
  
"I suggest everyone gets some rest and tomorrow we will start putting up some more advanced wards." stated Dumbledore, "Sirius, how about you take Harry to your chambers?"  
  
"Of course," muttered Sirius as he cradled Harry nearer to him. Harry was quite content with that and he had drifted off into a deep slumber. Sirius and remus walked out of Dumbledore's office and up to Remus's quarters. Remus would be Profssor Lupin again at the start of term because he was comng back to be the Defence against the Dark Arts. Dumbledore had told the ministry that Remus was totally safe and besides Dumbledore didn't give one to what the ministry said in reply.  
  
Remus's quarters were by the Gryffindor common rooms. They were large rooms with blue and green leather armchairs. The upholstery was by no means expensive but it served its purposes well. The carpet was a soft cream colour and there was a coffee table in the lounge. By the armchairs was a huge bookshelf that took up an entire wall. The books were mainly Defence against the Dark Arts book but there were a few books on quidditch. On one of the panelled walls was a large wizards photo of Lily, James and Harry. Remus stared at it and muttered,  
  
"Why, didn't they tell us? But I bet Lily loved him all the same."  
  
"Yeah you're right, no matter what I think Lily didn't do it of her own free will. She would never cheat on James. Oh Jamsie, where are you when we most need you!" cried Sirius. Harry's eyes snapped open.  
  
"Now look what you've done. Harry, you're safe here with us now," cooed Remus.  
  
"Well, at least I have my little Prongs," laughed Sirius as he attacked Harry with an onslaught of tickles.  
  
"Right, it's time for dinner," announced Remus with his teacher's voice. Harry giggled even harder. "Now what do you think you're laughing at? You'll be in real trouble if you do that again!"  
  
"Don't worry about Moony. He's just practising for next year. He's the defence teacher," laughed Siris. Harry giggled even more.  
  
"Tomorrow, I'm going to see Severus for an antidote for Harry, but come on and eat before the food gets cold," stated Remus.  
  
"Yes, Professor Moony," replied Sirius in a well oiled tone. They all moved into the next room, which happened to be a dinning room. The round oak table was groaning under the weight of dishes piled high with all sorts of deilcious food. There was elvenberry pie, pumpkin mash, roast rockingen, potatoe grouner and much, much more. However what was really interesting was the 24 inch pepperoni pizza that dominated the middle of the table. Of course the Dursleys had never given Harry any pizza before and he was very anxious to get his hands on some.  
  
"Now what would Prongslet like?" asked Lupin indictaing to the food on the table.  
  
"Peeeesa," said Harry instantly.  
  
"Er. Moony? I'm not sure our little Prongslet can eat that," commented Sirius.  
  
"Why?" asked Lupin mildy.  
  
"Well, for one thing I don't think he had any teeth" answered Sirus.  
  
"Nooooooooo!" screamed Harry, "Peeeeeeeesa."  
  
"Oh well, it's banana puree for you," stated Remus and conjured a bottle of banana puree for mid air. "I'll feed him and you eat,"  
  
"No Moony, Prongslet likes me better, don't you little guy?" cooed Sirius. He seemed so happy now and Remus wanted him to stay that way. He only offered to feed Harry so that Padfoot could eat something but backing away seemed a better optin now. It was amazing how much someone could love a child who wasn't their own, thought Remus, but then James had been a brother to Sirius for so long.  
  
"Yeah, okay but I'm offended," joked Lupin.  
  
"Nooooooooooon!" screamed Harry and desprately tired to wriggle out of Padfoot's arms.  
  
"Oh, I'm only joking Harry," said Lupin, laughing. Harry settleed down and started to eat his banana puree, which in his opinion tasted every nice indeed. Sirius was making broomstick noises as he fed Harry and Harry laughed so much he nearly choked. Sirius had a panick attacked when that happened but remus sorted it out. I really don't think Padfoot could look after baby Harry for one day, thought Remus, I'd better see Severus about the antidote, fast. What if he doesn't have one? Good god, we might have to bring up Harry! We're about as useful as half a rotten cabbage when it comes to bring up children, I mean, we've never looked after a baby before and Lily never let us be alone with for more than a minute. Had she know back then that Harry was Voldermort's child? She defintely knew that child wasn't James'. Was she afraid that I might have been able to see through the charm that she had put on the baby? After all I am a werewolf.  
  
"Harry's tried, I'll put him to bed," said Sirus, cutting off Remus's train of thought.  
  
"Alright, and you should be going to bed too. It's late," relpied Remus.  
  
"Yeah, okay," yawned Sirus as he took the sleepy toddler into his bedroom. It was entirely decorated in Gryffindor colours. It bed was crimson with gold linings. The floor was carpeted with a rich, red carpet. There was a desk with several chairs and an amrchair with the badge of Gryffindor printed on it. The window was large, hidden behind two thick, velvet curtians. Sirus walked in and conjured up a large cot form the air. It was also decorated with a quidditch theme. The golden snitches moved around and so did the players on the covers. It was like watching a film. Of course Harry was too tired to notice. At this point Sirus remembered something very important that Lily never forgot, changing Harry. The sheer prospect of changing a baby was beyond Sirius's imagination. Well, he had to try so he conjured up a nappy and carefully stripped Harry to his nappy. Sirus wrinkled up him nose and started to undo the white thing. To his upmost surprise it was clean.  
  
"Potty traned," grinned Harry.  
  
"My, Harry you're starting to speak clearer now," stated Sirus, "and do you want to go to the toilet?"  
  
"Non, 'oo sheepy" answered Harry.  
  
"Well, I'll just put you in pajams then," laughed Sirius and he carefully dressed Harry in the pajams that came with the cot, and guess what colour the were?  
  
"Reeeeeeeeeeeeed!" yelled Harry,  
  
"Yeah, I know. Now you just go to sleep. I love you Porngslet," said Sirius.  
  
"'ove 'oo too, pafoo," yawned Harry and he fell asleep with a smile on his face. Sirius heaved a sigh, magiced out the candles and scanned the room but what he didn't see was the pair of glowing red eyes that had folllowed his every move.  
  
  
  
AN: Hope you like the chapter and the cliffhanger. The next chapter will be alone very soon because it's a weekend and I have time to write. Dax if you've read this please give me a review because I need to know what you think of it. Oh and tansy, if you read this try to say somehting nice, for a change =)) 


	10. Figg to see you, My Lord

It's Just a Nightmare 10  
  
Lord Voldemort sat as still as stone in a very thoughtful posture. His cruel red eyes glistened like looted rubies as he stared in front of him in a trance. The room was so still that it seemed to have been frozen in time and even hushed flickering of the snake's tongue could be heard with clarity. The huge oak and elaborately decorated doors at the front of the hall stood ominously ajar. Suddenly the monster snapped out of his haze and turned to face the doors as if he could sense someone coming and sure enough the sound of hurried footsteps soon came clattering down the corridor.  
  
The monster seemed fairly surprised at the sudden noise; after all it was fairly suicidal for anyone to disturbing him during one of his "thinking periods". The footsteps halted outside the doors and Lord Voldemort could hear loud panting outside.  
  
"Come in," his cold, murderous voice rang all around the huge empty hall and he could just sense the person on the other side of the door recoil with horror. He was always good at intimidating people. Slowly and cautiously as if he was about to be devoured any minute, the owner of the footsteps warily poked his head around the door and squeezed through as if he was afraid to disturb the scene anymore than he had done.  
  
"My Lord, we have th.the boy," stuttered the poor man. He was obviously one of the newer recruits a newly graduated boy with absolutely no clue about what he was getting himself into. Lord Voldemort had obviously taken this in and he smiled in the most grotesque fashion possible. The poor boy was evidently shocked but tried to keep his disgust to a minimum. The smile faded and Lord Voldemort advanced on the boy.  
  
"So, my boy, where is he?" asked Voldemort in his most silky voice.  
  
"Mr. Lucius has got him s.sir," he replied with fear. The more senior Deatheaters had told him that doing anything out of line was always fatal.  
  
"Good, very well, you may go. Oh and, boy, you have been promoted to the rank of Secondary Superficial," the boy's eyes lit up like a spark; Secondary Superficial was a big promotion. If he kept up the good work he might just get into Lord Voldemort's inner circle! He ran off in an evident hurry to tell all his friends.  
  
The monster smiled cruelly at this and then stalked off to find Lucius but there was no need, Lucius was conveniently in the banqueting room. He was nursing an overactive bundle.  
  
"Well done, Lucius," hissed the monster with red eyes.  
  
"Thank you my lord. We took him from the castle using 'Prior Vital'."  
  
"Mmm. one of my favourite curses. It allows you to open a porthole between two places although you can't actually go through you may cast spells that affect the other side and things from the other side can come through. What did you disguise the porthole as?"  
  
"Two red eyes, my lord,"  
  
"Sometimes you really are amusing, Lucius,"  
  
"Thank you, my Lord," at this precise moment the overactive bundle became a screaming one.  
  
"Ah, has my little Alex grown tired of being ignored?" cooed Voldermort as he carefully took the child from Lucius.  
  
"Let me go, Voldemort. The order know about this!" hissed baby Harry in parseltounge, which he found was very useful when he was a baby.  
  
"Oh, Alex, you really aren't in the position to make demands are you?" chuckled Voldermort, "Come now, it is time for bed."  
  
"Noooooooooooooooo!" screamed Harry but of course he couldn't do anything. Voldermort stalked through the hall ways of Riddle manor carrying baby Harry, who by now had ran out of energy to fight anymore. They entered Lord Voldemort's private chambers. The cot was still there and the monster carefully laid the baby down in it.  
  
"Now, Alex bedtime means sleep," said Voldemort. "I need some peace and quiet to read my paper,"  
  
"I wanna look," was all Harry managed.  
  
"Oh really, how about I read it to you?" asked Voldemort. Harry of course was very taken a back and wondered briefly if he was dreaming. The main article was about how Dumbledore managed to save Harry because the news of his re-disappearance had not been published yet. The other articles were about the murders going on and how the order was fighting back. In all it only made poor Harry feel even more depressed.  
  
"No wanna hear no more!" protested Harry as he turned over and cover his ears.  
  
"Alex, you can be very amusing at times," laughed the monster as he carefully readjusted the baby's blankets, "Tired yet?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Alright then, seen as you have so much energy what do you want o discuss? And I must say your ability at parseltounge has improved dramatically," asked the evil lord "Why do you keep kidnapping me?"  
  
"Why, Alex, you're so smart. Why do I want you? Because I want you as an heir. Your just like me and you will be a great dark lord to carry on the name of Salazar Slytherin,"  
  
"Well, your wong cos I won't be your heir and I won't carry on your bad work!"  
  
"Sorry, Alex you have no chose soon you will forget all about Harry Potter and you will be mine." There was a knock on the door as he finished speaking, "Come in!"  
  
"My Lord, Figg to see you,"  
  
"Do come in Figg and what news do you have of the order?"  
  
AN: So figg's a spy will Dumbledore find her out or does he know? Maybe she's not the real fig. Find out in the next chapter. Please review. 


	11. Hail Lord Voldemort, Supreme Ruler of th...

AN: I apologise for the lateness. Mainly due to the fact that the great Lord Voldemort has locked me in his dungeon for the past week and decided it was time he took over. I am writing this as the Dark Lord dictates it to me. I am his most faithful servant and I will do his every biding. He wishes! I mean I will always serve him. Enjoy the story, stupid stinking muggles!  
  
It's Just a Nightmare 11  
  
The elderly women entered the room and promptly cast her disguise. Harry looked in appalled fascination as her skin stretched out and her hair regrew with great vigour. The whole transformation took only a few seconds but the difference was tremendous. Harry could hardly recognise the woman standing in front of him. So his next-door neighbour had more to her than the eye could see.  
  
"So, Arabelle, what news do you bring me. It had better be good or I'm not sure I will spare you," threatened Voldemort with a twisted grin.  
  
"My Lord, I assure you it is excellent news." Replied Figg with a little haste, "Dumbledore has muzzled the press in hope that it won't cause a world wide panic attack but my Lord, he is worried and weak right now. I think his end is near,"  
  
"Never mind what you think Figg, what is he planning to do?" demanded Voldemort with a great deal of impatience.  
  
"He has not decided on a cause of action yet but he seems to be favouring a talk and a consensus," replied Figg in a low and cautious voice. This was the last thing the Dark Lord wanted to hear.  
  
"So the old fool is taking a different approach is he? Well, he will have to do a lot better than that to out fool me!" hissed Voldemort apparently talking to himself.  
  
"And My Lord I do believe that Black is going to try and save Harry," finished Figg on a very uncertain note.  
  
"You do believe Black is going to save Harry, you don't know!" hissed Voldemort.  
  
"My Lord, I don't know if Dumbledore can stop him but if Dumbledore can't I'm sure he will try to rescue his godson," said Figg with some more confidence. At this Harry gave a scream and rolled over. Voldemort seemed fairly amused by this and he waved Figg out of the door.  
  
"Noooooooo!" screamed Harry over and over again.  
  
"Shush, Alex, you never know I may even give you to that mutt Black," laughed Voldemort, "Although it would have to be over my dead body, but first we must make haste after all Black may be here any minute now." Harry looked very confused but obviously Voldemort knew a lot more than he seemed to because at that very moment the entire mansion seemed to shake. The paintings fell off the walls and statue cracked but there was no noise, that was what was so frightening, the silence, it was like being in an earthquake with super earmuffs on. The windows shattered with no sound; the floor began to sprout cracks and suddenly from the crack in the floor a huge radiance of blueish green light shone through like fire dieing to swallow up wood. Voldemort gave triumphant scream as the light engulfed Harry. Everything seemed to be blueish green for a matter of seconds before the surrounding melted away in a haze of blue and green.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Harry opened his eyes to the bright light that was shining directly into his eyes and it made his lids appear blood red. Feverishly he pulled his arm across his face in a pitiful attempt to block out the light.  
  
"Time to wake up, master Alexander," growled a malicious voice. Harry's eyes snapped open and widened as they saw a huge part human part beast thing standing over him like an evil omen. The thing had the body of the human however the huge bulging muscles and the tough, leathery skin with a green tint to it was quite impossible to achieve in a human. The hands were claw like with sharp black nails each at least 3 centimetres long. The fingers were stubby and short with thick, course brown hair sprouting out of the top. Harry lifted his glaze from the things hands to its face. The thing was at least a foot taller than Hagrid and it was wearing a leather tunic and heavy, studded iron armour of some kind, which gave the figure a monstrous and imposing look but the face was the worst. The face was scrunched in a scrowl rival to Snape's and the skin was just as leathery but had millions of deep grooved wrinkles cutting through the yellowy green shell, which made the monster seem more experienced. Underneath the heavy eye ridges (it had no eyebrows) were two huge piercing eyes with blood red pupils that seemed to strip Harry of the little confidence he had left. He couldn't help noticing that the thing had a scar through on eye. The nose was flat and stubby with a metal ring through the middle that misted up every time the creature breathed. The beast's mouth was open as if he had been very excited and Harry could see the two crooked rows of sharp teeth. Horrible sticky saliva was dripping off the larger teeth, which Harry thought were more like fangs. They would certainly stick out when the creature closed its mouth. The fangs were well worn and black in some places. Groves ran down the enamel, which looked like they had been made over time by chewing something hard. The beast had two relatively small ears, which were partly hidden behind a curtain of greasy, black hair that reminded him of Snape. Through each scarred ear the beast wore two iron hoops that were just as scarred.  
  
"Err...what are you? I mean who are you?" demanded Harry in his bravest tone. The beast chuckled and it made more saliva drip from its mouth.  
  
"I am Rafulioac and I am an Orc. No doubt you have never seen any before," at this the beast gave another chuckle this time small beetle crawled hurriedly out of its armour and it ate one as the poor thing scuttled past. Harry winced and tried hard to block out the crunching.  
  
"Where am I?" asked Harry in a disgusted tone.  
  
"Why we had been waiting for you for many years, my little prince. If you will come with me.." the Orc said courteously but it grabbed Harry arm and hauled him out of the bed he had been lying on. Harry only just notice he had got his old body back and was wearing green robes. "We are going to see Rahumalisha Voldehumo Gruro Munataniana, in your language the ruler of the world Lord Voldemort."  
  
"Lord Voldemort doesn't rule the world!" cried Harry in alarm. A horrid feeling was beginning to creep up on him.  
  
"Oh, I assure you he does and has been doing for the past 1o years ever since you had been "deposed off"," at this the Orc gave a harsh laugh as he lead Harry in the throne room.  
  
AN: Hope you got what happen and hope it wasn't too much of a jump. Let's see how Harry copes in a world where Voldemort rule supreme in the next chapter. Please review *puppy dog eyes* 


	12. It's Just a NightmareYou Wish

AN: Enjoy muggles and I shall take over the world under the name Orlando Bloom! MHAHAHAHAHA!  
  
It's Just a Nightmare 12  
  
Harry uttered a noise of surprise at what met his eye. The room was huge, as tall as a cathedral and decorated with Slytherin colours. The ceiling was gilled with silver and the walls were decorated with emeralds. Down the middle of the hall ran a long green aisle marked out by the jade in the floor. At the end of this causeway, relaxed in a throne of twisted silver was Voldemort. Harry had no time to talk anymore in because at that precise moment twenty odd Death Eaters appeared out of nowhere and formed ranks around the aisle.  
  
"Why hello, Alex," hissed the monster in the throne. Harry, who had by now decided it was all a very bad dream cause by eating all that jelly with Sirius just smiled back like he did in dreams.  
  
"Hi dad, and how are you today?" asked Harry with his winning smile. Voldemort looked a little confused and then laughed.  
  
"Alex, my boy this is no joke," said Mr Evil. Harry just kept on smiling like an idiot.  
  
"I know, I missed you so much," and with that Harry ran up to Voldemort in order to hug his father, after all you were supposed to do stupid things in dreams right?  
  
"Ah, I see you have changed quite a lot....." but the monster broke off to hug his son. Of course the Death Eaters were more than shocked at this but they kept their silence.  
  
"Err.... If it would be convenient can I go to the bathroom?" asked Harry still smiling. Voldemort looked back at his child quite puzzled. Shouldn't Alex have realised that this wasn't a dream by now?  
  
"Of course, Marcus, take him to the bathroom," ordered Voldemort harshly. A young man of about 30 stepped out from the ranks and bowed.  
  
"If you will come this way Young Prince," the man growled and Harry thought it sounded very familiar. Well, you do tend to get these weird feelings in dreams so Harry pushed it aside and followed the strangely familiar man to the bathroom. The bathroom turned out to be just a bathroom, which means there was only a bath and nothing else. The bath was 15 metres long and 10 metres wide. It strongly reminded Harry of the prefects' bathroom at Hogwarts. Even the picture of the mermaid was the same but now the mermaid looked as if her lake had become polluted. However nice and relaxing this bathroom was it didn't serve poor Harry's purpose and he was beginning to regret not asking to go to the loo but then again this was a dream so he did what he did in dreams: he went in the bath. Relieved, he decided to find Marcus again. Of course in dreams you tended to forget about other people so he was surprised to find himself face to face with a disgusted Marcus.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" asked Harry brightly. He was actually quite enjoying this dream because he was going to have a prefects' bath again.  
  
"Nothing Crown Prince, but please don't mind me saying that the bath is not for bodily functions," the man cringed as he finished.  
  
"Well, why don't you clean it up old chap?" answered Harry brightly, " and I'll just go and see what my wonderful father is up to." With that Harry with his lunatic grin rushed back to find his dad. As he ran he couldn't help noticing how familiar the whole place looked but he pushed it out of his mind. Maybe in his dream he might be able to bond with his father? That would be fun.  
  
"Ah, Alex, my boy come with me," came a cold voice behind him. Harry beamed and swung around.  
  
"Oh hello daddy, are you going to show me more of your palace," asked Harry bouncing up and down like a little child. A gleam of cunning slipped over the annoyance and Voldemort smiled a grotesque smile.  
  
"Of course Alex, I'll show you your chambers," a hand grabbed his and Harry happily allowed himself to be lead away by his wonderful father. On the way a small skinny girl scurried past in rags carrying a tray. Harry looked at her curiously because, god, the girl looked like Hermione and so he did another dreamy thing,  
  
"Hey ermioneHhhhHHikdjjdsjfdjdsjkdsjkfdHermione! Come over here and what are you wearing?" demanded Harry with a grin. The girl looked shock and pondered whether to run of stay.  
  
"Alex, she's not your friend, you're mistaken," said Voldemort softly.  
  
"No I'm not. Dad meet Hermione. Hermione this is my dad," said Harry grinning.  
  
"Go, mudblood. Alex come lets go and see your chambers first," said Voldemort kindly to Harry and steered him away like a child from a ice cream van.  
  
"Oh, bye Herm, see you later," said Harry sadly but the girl was already gone. Father walked while the son skipped about merrily as they descended the stairs to the dungeons. They seemed familiar too but again Harry dismissed it. His father guided him along the dark damp corridors covered in green and silver. The carpet was soft underneath his feet and Harry once again thought he rather liked this dream, even if Voldemort ruled the world after all it's just a dream, isn't it?  
  
Harry found that his chambers were well, large, cold and green and very dark. Green and silver weren't particularly his favourite colours but the bed looked so inviting and soft. Closer exception of the room revealed several bookcases full of thick leather bound volumes and a large ornate desk full of parchment and quills. The floor was carpeted in black, which was different from the hall. Oh well, thought Harry, beauty sleep but another thought suddenly exploded into his dazed mind: do people sleep in their dreams? Or was this just a dream? Everything seemed so real and familiar. No, he thought, this is a dream. The place is only familiar because you dream about everyday things. Yes that's right and Harry relaxed onto the large green bed.  
  
"Now, Alex just relax and go to sleep," said his dad. At this point a prick of sense came into Harry's mind, he wanted to wake up now, right now. This dream wasn't as fun as he had thought. He didn't like the idea of going to sleep in a strange bed in the middle of the day. Nor did he like having Voldemort around. HE pinched himself hard, but nothing happened. He repeated it over and over again until his arm was red with burning marks.  
  
As each attempt failed, Harry grew more panicky. His heart thumped against his ribcage as if it was trying to get out. His arms felt weakened all of a sudden and a wave of fear washed over his mind. Could this possibly not be a dream? Had he been transported into the future? After all Voldemort did cast some kind of weird spell on him. Voldemort had noticed the change in his son's attitude by now and his grotesque smile was again plastered onto his face.  
  
"Why...aren't I waking up?" asked Harry in a frightened voice.  
  
"Oh, my boy, because this is no dream, this is reality," whispered Mr Evil in his ear and a wave of involuntary shivers went down his back.  
  
"I don't believe you! When I wake up I'll be back at Hogwarts with Sirius and Remus!" shouted Harry putting his hands over his ears.  
  
"Oh but my boy I'm afraid Sirius and Remus are no long with us but maybe you might like to see your little friend Hermione. She's a slave here under the guidance of Mr Malfoy," whispered Voldemort in his head.  
  
"No! I'm going to wake up!" cried Harry even louder.  
  
"Try all you like petit but soon you will realise that you are wrong." A sudden scream rang up from the corridors. This voice was very familiar. "Oh that must be Draco punishing his slave. It's startling that she still screams. Well, Alex would you like to see her?" Harry just closed his eyes, what had just happened to him?!  
  
AN: Maybe some Lord of the Rings in the next chapter, after all I'm in it! 


	13. Two at the price of one

AN: Sorry for not writing for so long, I had a writer's block. Enjoy! Roses are red and Violets are blue, I will write so please review!  
It's Just a Nightmare 13  
  
Harry swallowed his Adam's Apple as he stared back into the ruby red eyes of his father.  
  
"Alex, you look pale, would you like something to eat?" asked the monster in mild concern. Harry snorted,  
  
"You bring me into the future, where you, my mortal enemy who also happens to be my father rule supreme and you expect me to be alright?!"  
  
"My boy, cheekiness shall not be tolerated here, do you understand?" hissed Voldemort as he grabbed hold of Harry's delicate jaw and crushed it under his strong grip. He really did have strength for one so skinny. The cold spidery fingers slithered down to Harry's neck and tightened their grip. "And I shall not tolerate any disobedience from my son, either. Is that clear?" Harry shook his head ferociously and the monster let go.  
  
"No, I shall never, ever obey your stupid commands! I won't be your slave like all those Death Eaters. Never, leave me alone!" cried Harry desperately.  
  
"Oh, but my boy, you have no chose now. I have control of everything and there's no mother or Dumbledore to save you now!" chuckled Voldemort.  
  
"You're sick, I hate you I wish I was never born your son!" yelled Harry flinging his arms around himself. He started to cry. This was about the worst situation he could be in. What was he going to do now, with that monster ruling the world. The helplessness and sadness over whelmed him and salted raindrops started to pour down his cheeks. What had happened to Ron, Sirius, Remus and all his other friends? How could he cope but a nasty little voice in the back of his head said: why not join him, there's nothing else you can do. Make life easy fro yourself and do as you are told. You could be powerful, rich and life in luxury  
  
"Oh, my boy, it isn't so bad. Some of your little friends are still alive, you can see them if you like. Besides hadn't you always wanted to live with your family?" the care in his voice made Harry even sicker than before.  
  
"What would you care? All you ever wanted was to dominate the world! You never even wanted me. I bet I was just some accident!"  
  
"Now, my child, don't say silly things when you're mad. Come think about this, I shall allow you to live in luxury with everything you could possibly want. You can even be with your little friends if you want. Besides you can't possibly do anything else so I advise you to take my offer before I make you do something worse," Harry raised his tear stained face from his arms.  
  
"Are you going to make me a Death Eater as well?" he asked in a small voice. A gleam of triumph spread over Voldemort's face.  
  
"No, my boy, there are no Death Eaters anymore, everyone has joined our Dark Order." Harry gulped. He may as well do as he was told after all there was other option. However his conscience stopped him short of agreeing with Voldemort: what the hell do you think you are doing? You can't give in to that monster. Think about how betrayed Dumbledore, Ron, Sirius and Hermione would feel. What has happened to you Harry? His alter ego retaliated with a string of reasons revolving round the basis that he had no other choice. Oh my God, thought Harry, I must be going mad! Voldemort continued to stare at him with those ruby red eyes. "My boy, have you reached a decision yet? I won't hesitate to add that I don't take no for an answer and that you might not see that mudblood friend of yours ever again."  
  
"I....I'll stay with you, just leave me alone and don't make me do any of your dirty work, " whimpered Harry.  
  
"Good boy, now come, how about something to eat?" asked Voldemort as he clapped his hands. A small-bedraggled looking thing in torn up rags appeared out of thin air and bowed its head. "Go get your young master something to eat and be quick about it too!" barked Voldemort. Harry couldn't help being reminded of Dobby and his tea cosies. An aching sensation of loss spread through his spine and clutched at his heart. Where were Dobby, Winky, and all his other friends?  
  
"Tell me where are my friends," demanded Harry suddenly. Why hadn't he asked the monster earlier. What was wrong with him? His feelings about his friends had gone quite numb now for some reason, only a minute ago he was crying for them. Sure he thought about them but there just wasn't the sense of loss that he should feel and why did he trust this demon? The monster could have poisoned his food just to make him suffer.  
  
"Why, Sirius and Remus? Oh they are probably dead by now. They tried to form a resistance after Dumbledore died but you see it was crushed and they fled for their lives. I put them under death sentence so they have probably been murdered by now." Again there was just a dull sense of grief. "I suppose you want to know about that red haired boy, Ron Weasley, well, he being the stupid Gryffindor he was died trying to kill Lucius Malfoy, futile really. Oh and his sister died of grief a few weeks after the last battle, pity really I think Draco really liked her. The rest of the family are dead too although I do believe the twins are still at large somewhere but I'm sure Draco will be glad to deal with them. Your mudblood friend is currently with Draco and all your little Gryffindor friends are either dead or serving their penance as slaves to one of my inner circle." Harry just nodded, no grief no pain, nothing, it felt like there was nothing to care about anymore.  
  
The house elf arrived with a several plates laden with food, which it carried using magic. "Now my boy, do eat something you look terribly pale," said Voldemort studding his son's white face. It had gone extremely pale in the last few minutes, just like his own. Harry cautiously chose the most innocent looking piece of pie from one of the plates and, well aware of the monster watching him, nibbled a piece of the pastry. It tasted alright, he took a bite this time and his mouth was filled with sweet, juicy pumpkin. The juice ran down his throat soothing the dryness and the soft, velvety pumpkin seemed to melt in his mouth was he chewed, unnecessarily.  
  
"Is that all sirs?" asked a small cracked voice. Harry look down in surprise, he hadn't noticed that the house elf was still there.  
  
"That will be all," replied Voldemort as he selected a piece of cake and started to munch. The house elf disappeared faster than he had appeared. Harry stared at his father who was munching on a piece of chocolate cake. The monster was well aware of his sons gaze and he looked up.  
  
"Sorry, I have never associated you with chocolate cake before," said Harry apologetically, what was happening to him? Apologising to that monster?  
  
"I am partly human, my boy," replied the monster fairly amused.  
  
"Um...what are you going to do with me? I mean I am going to go to school at Drumstrand or something?" what was he saying? Wasn't he going to escape this horror? He wasn't just going to be Voldemort's slave was he? Somehow his actions were getting uncontrollable. He would say something, which he didn't seem to think about then realise what he had done. Ah, said that nasty little voice at the back of his head, which he had failed to notice before just a few minutes ago, but you see, I'm becoming more active now a days so I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with me, after all you won't survive if you don't'.  
  
"No, son, you will be personally tutored by me," answered Voldemort analysing his son's face. It was quite unreadable but one emotion was quite clear, the boy seemed to be divided, it was more of a feeling than anything else but Voldemort knew feeling could be very important. The nasty little voice kicked up a gear,  
  
"So when do I start the training?" asked the nasty little voice through Harry.  
  
"Now, after you have finished your dinner," The nasty little voice gained control and stuffed the pie into Harry's face,  
  
"I'm ready," replied the nasty little voice as it made Harry dust himself off. Voldemort gave Harry a scrutinising look but said,  
  
"Fine, come," Harry struggled against his own body as it followed Voldemort into the library.  
  
It was the same as he remembered huge bookcase towering up the walls and in rows like solemn soldiers. The shelves were still crammed full of books except now row upon row of dark arts books filled the place where the entire place where Harry would have look for help on his homeworks. There were books like "Illegal Curses of the Dark Ages" and "Torture to the soul: spells to make a perfect hell". Wasn't Voldemort a little too eager to train him? Wouldn't the monster be afraid of a rebellion of some sort? Not by the way you're going, said the normal voice.  
  
"What do you want me to do, my Lord?" asked the nasty little voice through Harry.  
  
"First we shall start with basic curses and counter curses, I do believe you are very behind on them," stated Voldemort without looking at the boy, it was as if he was a child turning away from a complicated problem that he couldn't solve but had to. "We shall first learn about the Deo Amicum curses. These were invented at first for the light side during the War of the White Witches in Age of the Wars. The spells were kept secret at all costs because of their destructive power. The incantation does not have to spoken verbally; it just requires the caster to concentrate on casting the spell. However the dark side got the spells eventually after the Wars had ended and they became popular with the wizards of the time because these are extremely powerful curses. Their use died down soon after because the light side had a double counter curse which, unlike most double curses, sent the curse back the way it came.  
  
"However I have come up with a version of the Deo Amicum, which is resistant to that particular counter curse and all the common counter curses. We shall practise the first and easiest of the new Deo Amicum, the Curse of the Angels. You need to say something for this curse to work but it doesn't have to be the incantation. You need to copy my wand movement and concentrate your hatred on the person or thing you are casting the spell on. For now we shall practise on the table." With that Voldemort whipped out his wand and held it in duelling stance. Nasty Harry did the same and watched attentively as Voldemort bought his wand down diagonally like he was chopping something in half. However the wand stopped mid way and a jet of coppery light shot out of the tip. There was a crack as the light went through the table and left a smoking hole in its wake.  
  
"When you cast this spell on a person or animal it will simply burn the muscles in the chest to cinders," said Voldemort very off handily. "A very good way to kill some one painfully unlike the Avada Kedavra curse." Evil Harry nodded in agreement and tried to imitate the hand movements. He did succeed partly only his spell was no way powerful enough to burn a hole through the table.  
  
The two people practised the spell over and over again until Harry had got it to perfection, which considering the difficulty of the curse was a relatively short time. However it was already dark outside when the monster was finally pleased with his progress.  
  
"I have finally master it, my Lord" stated Evil Harry with a hint of glee. The monster smiled back and his ruby red eyes gleamed like hot coals in a fire,  
  
"Good boy, you may go to the hall for dinner. Afterwards you shall meet me in the dungeons again for your potions lesson with Damien Malfoy,"  
AN: Hope that was alright with you guys. Please review. I know that I haven't updated so I tried to make this chapter extra special. How will poor Harry's lesson go and who is Damien Malfoy? Will Evil Harry rein supreme or will Real Harry make a come back? REMEMBER REVIEW IT'S LIKE CHOCY TO AN AUTHOR! 


	14. A Potions Lesson

AN: This is the chapter I have promised. 

I AM SOOOOOO SORRY THAT THIS IS SO LATE. STUPID BT CUT OFF MY INTERNET CONNECTION! AND THE STUPID SCHOOL BANNED FANFIC.

Disclaimer: I own Damien Malfoy, the potion + ingredients, Grousten in this chapter and Harry's alter ego Alex. Voldie will explain all things about alter egos in the next chapter.

Its Just a Nightmare You Wish 14

****

            The Great Hall was decked out in Slytherin colours but instead of four long house tables and a staff table; there was just one huge oak table stretching from one end of the hall to the other. It's highly polished reflected Alex's pale complexion as he looked around the hall. The four stain glass windows had been removed and in their place was a larger stain glass window depicting Salazar Slytherin and his numerous achievements. Alex however thought that the central figure looked more like Lord Voldemort to be precise. The fading light was not sufficient enough to capture the colour and design of the window and Alex made a mental note to come back sometime during the next day. He turned his attention back to the table, it was bare and two long rows of high backed chairs were set along the two sides with one chair at the top of the table, which looked exactly like the others, Alex noted. Apart from the table the hall was just about empty. A slim white hand came to rest on his shoulder and Alex turned around to see his father smiling at him. 

            "So, my son, do you like it?" asked the monster staring at him.

            "Of course, father," replied Alex in a very dutiful way. The man smiled again and indicated to Alex that he should take the seat at his father's right hand. He carefully lowered himself onto the royal red padding and turned to face his father. The man had also seated. 

            "We will be expecting company today, my son, but normally it will just be you and I," informed the monster absent-mindedly, looking at a small piece of metal with the dark mark carved on both sides. Suddenly the eyes of the skull started to glow bright red, "Ah, they have arrived." At that instant the doors flew open and Death Eaters started to come in. Well, Alex presumed that they were Death Eaters as they didn't wear masks or dress in black. In fact there was an assortment of indigos, dark greys, and violets. Some people were even wearing blood red! The Death Eaters, Alex saw, seated themselves according to rank, the higher ones nearer the top. For a few moments none of the Death Eaters came in his direction but just before the table was filled a man with silver blond hair came and sat down next to Alex and another man with a very familiar look seated himself opposite Alex. Suddenly right after the last man was seated crystal goblets appeared in front of everyone fill with pumpkin juice. Voldemort and said, "I am glad to see that all of you have made it to our banquet in honour of my son." He raised his glass in a toast to Alex and all the Death Eaters did the same. 

            "A toast to the Dark Prince!" they called out in unison and stood up in formation to drink the toast. As soon as all the glasses were emptied the food appeared. Huge plates of things that Alex liked, hated and had never seen before appeared on the table in a flash. Soon the table was groaning under the weight of so much food. Some dishes were entirely new to Alex while others he recognised from his time at Hogwarts. The Dark Lord immediately tucked in and the other Death Eaters followed his lead. Alex hastily served himself a large helping of tumush steak with fringleberry topping. Its delicious smell invaded his nostrils, making him hungrier than ever. However before he could touch his dinner, the Death Eater to the right of him stuck up a conversation.

            "Well, good evening my prince, I am Damien Malfoy," the man said and smiled a very charming smile. Alex took a good look at the man whom he was going to spend the rest of the evening with. He really was a typical Malfoy, sleek silver blond hair and those piercing grey ice. Like icicles, thought Alex as he smiled back. "I suppose you know my brother, Draco." At this Alex involuntarily looked up in surprise. He had no idea Draco had any siblings but then why shouldn't he?

            "Yes, as a matter, I do," replied Alex more curtly than he had intended. Damien continued to smile through a mouthful of redish pie. He swallowed and said,

            "I am really looking forwards to our lesson," Alex only nodded in reply, he was too busy eating now to finish the conversation so the rest of the meal proceeded with out them exchanging anymore words. The feast went on around them with conversations ranging from muggle torture to marriage. Lord Voldemort was deep in conversation with another man presumably a high-ranking Death Eater. He was a large man, although not as tall as Voldemort. He had a lose athletic build, which gave Alex the impression, that the man may have been a professional sportsman in his youth. Alex estimated him to be about 45 as he already had a few grey hairs on his temple. The Death Eater would have been quite handsome if it wasn't for the huge white scar running across his face from his left eye to below his right ear. 

            "…Yes, my lord, we will do our best to achieve what you want. However, I hesitate to add this but, the rebel groups are growing stronger and they have connections, my lord," said that particular Death Eater in a pleading voice. Harry's heart gave a wild leap only to be suppressed by Alex.  

            "I know they have connections Grousten," replied Alex's father in a fairly bored voice, as if he had heard this too many times, "I want them eliminated, now. I seriously don't believe that an army of my Elite cannot destroy a few cowards hiding in caves and I'm sure you agree with me too, don't you?" at this the Death Eater's face registered an ill-disguised cringe.

            "Of course, my lord, you are right as always," stammered Grousten and hastily turned his attention back to his food. Alex observed the man for a while longer before turning back to his own plate. He realised that Harry had been rather subdued for a long time. His archenemy was certainly losing grip. 

            The feast finished without anymore interesting conversations and Alex was beginning to feel quite sleepy. Unfortunately, he reminded himself, I still have to have that darn potions lesson with Malfoy. Alex hoped that Damien was nothing like his elder brother but then again, Draco had only been horrible to him because he was Harry, the stupid Gryffindor. Voldemort clapped his hands just like Dumbledore used to and the plates clear regardless of whether their users had finished or not. 

            "The feast my Elite has come to an end. I bid you all farewell and goodnight," announced Voldemort and he beckoned for Alex and Damien to leave with him. Alex scraped his chair back as noiselessly as possible and quickly followed his father out of the Great Hall. 

            The potions lab was in the same dungeon as Harry had once had potions in but now it was barely recognisable. Alex saw that all the work benches had been removed and a new set of mahogany work benches, with shelves on top of them, were set along the four walls, leaving a vast empty square. In the middle of the grey flagstones was a permanent, round fireplace. It was a large shallow hole covered with black ashes. Around the perimeter was a ring of stones, which had been magically fitted to getter so it formed a miniature, half-foot wall. After, observing the queer fireplace, Alex turned his attention back to the benches. They were littered with rolls of parchment, quills, inkbottles, potions and empty glass vials. Hundreds of different potions and ingredients were arranged in some sort of order along the shelves. The jars, vials and bottles, were all labelled in the same tiny, cursive script, even the seemingly empty jars! Still, others were filled with what looked suspiciously like human body parts and entrails. 

            Suddenly, a loud cough from behind him brought Alex out of his staring, His father rested a bony hand upon his shoulder. 

            "Well, shall we get started?" asked Voldemort looking over his shoulder at Damien who was busy lighting the fire. 

            "Of course, my lord, as you wish," said Damien as the flames jumped up to licked the bottom of the cauldron that he had just conjured up. Alex noticed it was larger than a normal cauldron and it long flat handle running from one side of the cauldron to the other, making it look more like an old fashion muggle cooking pot. It was suspended from the ceiling by a sturdy metal chain that was looped around the long flat handle. The chain creaked eerily whenever the cauldron swayed dangerously from side to side. The bottom of the cauldron was now glowing a dull red colour as the flames continued to rise higher engulfing the base. 

            "What potion are we going to make tonight?" Alex asked as Damien filled the cauldron with water from his wand. Voldemort had already conjured a chair for himself a few feet away from the fireplace and was now observing the two with his ruby eyes. 

            "The Nova Ducit, a highly useful Dark Arts potion, which doesn't not belong to the Forma branch of potions that you are accustomed to," informed Damien Malfoy. Alex gave him a quizzical look. "Well, I'm sure in your four years at Hogwarts you have been taught how to brew potions. All of the potions you have learnt before are from the main branch of potions called the Forma Potions. They form the biggest part of potions but there are other branches of potions, one branch commonly called the Condition Potions contains potions that only work when the time is right or when the brewer says a word.

            'Now this potion that we are about to brew is different because the potion that you will brew will not be a liquid but a gas, so special precautions will have to be taken. This potion produces a poisonous gas dangerous to all but the brewer or brewers. It is invisible, odourless and easy to contain if you know that its there because this gas spreads very slowly so you can pollute a small part of a room with out harming any other parts. Once a portion of the gas has been breathed in by a victim the rest of the gas will also enter the victim immediately so no traces of the gas can be found in the surrounding area. The gas leaves no visible marks on the victim nor does it show up on ordinary poison tests. The only test with, which you can detect this gas is by adding powered moonstone to victims lungs. This causes the gas to become a pale green colour as the moonstone reacts with it. There is no way of tracking the brewer after the gas has been breathed in because after the chosen victim has died the gas loses all potential so there will be no use in making people breath it in to identify the brewer, as you can with some other potions. So, as you can see this potion makes the perfect assassination weapon." Damien finished his lecture just as the cauldron as boiling. He quietly handed Alex a piece of parchment with the ingredients written on and implored him to go and fetch those ingredients. They turned out to be the strangest things Alex had ever seen. They included powered Frushlion horn, a pale grey powered, which could easily be mistaken for dust, chopped Gillblow stems, pink sting things that looked awfully like muggle Strawberry Laces and worst of all curdled human blood. 

            After he had placed everything that they needed on the floor beside the fireplace Alex looked up to see his father smirking at him from the ornate chair. The man quickly gestured for Alex to get back to work. Damien Malfoy was now stirring the water in the large cauldron. There seemed to be a doom made from jelly over the mouth of the cauldron that was presumably there to stop the gas from escaping. However it did not seem to effect Damien's actions in anyway.

            "Great, now the ingredients have already been prepared for us so all we have to do now is add them in the correct order and at the right time. Now you can see that I'm stirring the water a complete circle anti-clockwise once every 5 seconds on the dial," at this Damien inclined his head over to a large instrument with a beam of light bouncing up an down between two mirrors. Alex new that the beam must have been magically slowed down to make it move so slowly. "Now I will keep stirring at like this all through the process and I will tell you when to add each ingredient. Now get the Gillhorn ready to add when I tell you so."

            "Um… What's my father going to do once we've brewed this potion?" asked Alex rather hesitantly because he was rather afraid to sound stupid. Lord Voldemort gave his trademark high-pitched laugh.

            "Why, thank you for your consideration, my son, but I will be fine as Damien hasn't told you what spells can repel this potion. However this potion can still be a potent killer as people won't know when it's coming to get them."

            The rest of the lesson was spent stirring in all the ingredients; there were a lot of them, into the boiling water. The liquid had disappeared by now leaving what looked at a first glance to be an empty cauldron. 

            "You did a wonderful job there, Alex and I will be teaching you again I believe this time next week," said Damien as he bottled the potion. Voldemort removed his chair and smiled down at his son, who by now was very sleepy. 

            "Good, I am glad he learned something from you Damien, next to Snape I suppose you are my finest potions master," said Voldemort with in a rare voice of praise. Alex's eyes snapped open,

            "Where is Snape?" he asked.

            "A mission for me," answered Voldemort vaguely and lead his son back to his bed chambers.

**AN:** That is one of the longest chapters I have ever written. I'm glad to say that I'm not going to be kicked out of school, just and with the holidays coming up, I have more time to write so there will be more up dates on all my stories. 


	15. A resurface and a decision to be made

AN: Please note that Harry has an alter ego named for reader's convenience Alex. Alex is like the other side of Harry. Harry Potter in this story is not one but two people, in other words he has a split personality. 

Please note that this story doesn't have a pervert twist to it. I'm just trying to show Voldemort and Harry in a family situation.  

It's Just a Nightmare 16

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            Lord Voldemort turned the corner followed by his son and pushed open the large wooden doors, which lead to a room that Alex had never been in before. It certainly wasn't the room where Voldemort had told Harry to go to sleep in that morning. The room appeared to be a sitting room of some kind, decorated in the Slytherin colours. The walls were lined with bookshelves containing, Alex noted, lighter reading material than he would have expected from his father but then again who said this was his father's sitting room? The room was luxuriously furbished with two large squashy armchairs and a three-sitter leather sofa made of the extremely high quality leather. The three pieces of upholstery served as a centrepiece for the room and beyond the semi circle that the chairs made was a soft hearthrug in front of a warm blazing fire. Above the fireplace, on the only bare stretch of wall, hung a large tapestry featuring the Slytherin Crest. To Alex's eyes the place looked homey.

            "Well, my boy, this will be the centre of our living quarters. My chambers are on the right hand side," He gestured to a door that Alex hadn't noticed before, "and your chambers are on the left. I will be in my chambers or in this room if you need me," the Dark Lord finished on a rather affectionate tone. Alex nodded and tried to stifle a yawn,

            "Father do you mind if I just go to bed now?" he asked letting his eyelids droop. 

            "Yes, but wash first. There is a bath in your private chambers," the Dark Lord answered. Alex yawned again and hurriedly exited into his quarters. 

            The Dark Lord frowned and seated himself in his favourite armchair by the fire. He gazed for a while into the crackling flames. His son had clearly surfaced for once and Harry Potter was finally dormant but was it necessarily a good thing? He didn't want a dormant Harry; he wanted a non-existent one. Lord Voldemort was no fool he knew well enough that Alex could never be whole with Harry around and there was always a big possibility that Harry would resurface again. If that did happen he would have some trouble on his hands. He knew perfectly well Harry was not going to submit to him and if Harry Potter did get out then the resistance would become much more stronger. 

            The resistance was giving him trouble again. To think he had once thought they had all been eliminated but evil could not eliminate good and good could not eliminate evil. They needed each other in order to exist. He thought that he could at least keep the light side to a bare minimum but the resistance was bouncing back again. Their leader was clearly a cunning man, worthy enough to be called a Slytherin. Their tactics were simple but efficient against his Elite: the resistance hid out in hard reach areas and used guerrilla tactics on his men. The Dark Lord laughed bitterly, world domination had not been as easy as he had imagined. 

            Meanwhile Alex had just climbed into the bath and was now enjoying the bubbles that were spewing out of the numerous taps around the edge of the bath. It was just like the prefects bath only it was much smaller and oval in shape. Alex sank lower into his watery cocoon and fell fast asleep……………

            Harry woke up with a jerk as a white bony hand gently shook him. He looked up to see the owner of the hand looking at him with an amused smile on his face. It was Lord Voldemort. An involuntary shiver shot down Harry's spine as the crimson eyes bore into his own. He noticed the Dark Lord's smile had turned into a frown. Had he felt Harry shiver? Well Alex may like his father's touch but he certainly didn't. 

            "I………….um fell asleep," muttered Harry suddenly aware that the bubbles had all disappeared. He quickly made himself as decent as possible. Lord Voldemort laughed as he sensed his son's embarrassment.

            "I am you father after all my boy," he said kindly and help Harry out of the bath. Harry's cheeks redden as he hastily dried himself with a towel and slipped into the pyjamas that Lord Voldemort had offered him. They were Slytherin green with a large silver snake on the front. Well, at least they covered him up. Voldemort smiled at his son's antics and lead him into the bedroom, which Alex had not explored. It was smaller than he sitting area but looked very comfortable with a large king sized bed occupying the centre and at that point the only thing Harry cared for was sleep, he could think over his situation once he had rested. With out further a do he clambered on to the bed and pulled on the comforter. The Dark Lord, to Harry up most surprised gently tucked him in and smoothed out the covers. Harry felt really snug and comfortable. "Hush now and sleep well," whispered his blood father and Harry wondered if James had ever tucked him in before. 

"Um……. Good night," mumbled Harry sounding very unsure of himself. Was he really saying good night to Voldemort?

"Good night my son……….. and I love you," said the man before him and walked out of the room leaving Harry to ponder his options. Should he run away and join to resistance or should simply stay and be his father's son?

AN: Next chapter Harry make a decision and Voldemort gets a little nasty. Please review thanks.

Wellingtonboots      ^---------^                  ew he lllsssssssaaa    


	16. Something Very Significant

AN: Enjoy this chapter I must say it is the longest I've written so far. PLEASE R+R  
  
Its Just a Nightmare 17  
  
It took a long time for Harry to fall asleep in his unfamiliar surroundings even though the bed as the softest he had ever slept on. In a way he rather liked this new life of his; no more chores, no more homework or Malfoy and best of all no more orphan status. He almost regretted defeating Voldemort in the first place but then he couldn't have stopped that could he. At last he could call someone "father" but he didn't really like calling anyone "father". It seemed to be something Malfoy would say and he always thought that if he did have a chance to meet his "father" he would definitely call him dad. However when your father happens to be the world's most powerful dark lord with the power of life or death over you, you don't exactly call him dad, do you? That kind of affectionate title would probably anger Voldemort or something. As these thoughts swirled around his head he dropped into a deep slumber.  
  
The dream he had was almost disturbing, he had dreamt of his friends all lined up in a row and each and every one of them took turns in screaming to the whole world what a traitor he was. Hermione stepped forwards and said in a distant yet forceful voice:  
  
"Harry how could you just sit there and be daddy's little boy. You are the only one who can save the wizarding world now use your connection with Voldemort and save us, Harry, save us!" the last words echoed rung around his head like a giant gong. Harry sat bolt upright and came face to face with his father. The crimson eyes bore into the clouded green ones, as they seemed to see into to his brain. Was Voldemort a mind reader? No, there was no such thing as a mind reader even in the wizarding world. However Harry was still really scared as the scarlet eyes continued to search him. Harry discreetly avoided his father's gaze but even then he could still feel those eyes reading his mind like a book. He was starting to break into a cold sweat but why was he so bothered about his father finding out about an insignificant dream he had. After all it didn't mean anything to him....or did it?  
  
"Hello, Alex my son, did you sleep well?" inquired the man in front of him. Harry gulped and nodded, trying to look calm in front of the Dark Lord. He had no desire to let Voldemort find out about his dreams. Voldemort gave his son one last indulgent looked and headed out of the room presumably order something from the kitchens. Harry hurriedly looked around for something to wear only to find that the only clothes in sight were Slytherin robes. Sighing, he sluggishly pulled them over his head and headed out of the room after his father.  
  
Harry found his father lounging in one of the comfortable armchairs reading the paper just like any other person might. However this didn't make Harry anymore relaxed in his presence. In fact it made him more tense then ever; he was still quite sure Voldemort knew or had some idea of what had gone on in his head just a few minutes ago. The Dark Lord looked up from his paper as Harry entered the room.  
  
"Good morning..father," he muttered hastily feeling even more uncomfortable. He had no idea how Alex could resist that penetrating gaze. Alex, he didn't even want to think about Alex or about his choices; he was beginning to enjoy all the paternal attention.  
  
"Good morning, Alex, are you hungry yet?" his father inquired in a doting tone that he used in private.  
  
"Yes, father," answered Harry meekly as the man walked over and put a long spider like hand on his shoulder. With that the two walked out of the dungeons to the great hall. Harry was getting distinct goose bumps all over his left should, which just happened to be the shoulder with Voldemort's hand on. He did his best to refrain from squirming under his father's touch. After all he didn't want Voldemort to know that his son was now Harry again.  
  
The grand table was set explicitly for two of unequal status. A large high backed, rather plain oak chair was set out at the right hand side of a grand, throne like chair with delicate carvings on every inch of the silver frame. The tablecloth was pale emerald green and contrasted nicely with the silverware that was lying on top. The Dark Lord sat down, as was expected, at the head of the table while his son took the seat on the right. Harry shifted awkwardly in his chair, trying and failing to make the sitting experience more comfortable. His father lightly clapped his hands and the sound reverberated around the hall as if his had just rung a gong and died away suddenly. Just as abruptly food filled the empty silver plates in front of the two. Not even batting an eye lid the Dark Lord helped himself to a piece of what looked to be steak. Harry cautiously followed his example but instead he chose the most innocent piece of elfberry pie he could find.  
  
Breakfast had finished before something truly significant happened but like all other incredibly momentous things it chose to first appear in the most trivial form possible.  
  
The elf which had once brought food to his chambers appeared again behind his father and Harry applauded himself for his rather good memory, after all house elves had the tendency to look the same in human eyes. His father, however, had not notice the elf at all, so Harry cleared his throat pointedly. This cause his father to look up and then behind him as guided by his son's silent finger. The small elf tried to make itself even smaller under the intense gazed of Lord Voldemort. This seemed to achieve the opposite effect it had been hoping for his lordship looked more annoyed than ever,  
  
"What are you here for?" he demanded in a tone that would have made grown wizards go weak at the knees. The elf trembled again and this time Harry was under impression that it was trembling because of something other than Lord Voldemort's glare.  
  
"Elf is here to inform master..." at this the house elf began to tremble more violently than ever and Harry reproached himself for not helping it in some way. "Elf is here to inform master that Cardenas needs a private consultation with his lordship about matters that concern the resistance," the elf withdrew into the shadows after it had finished hoped for the leave to go before something truly harmful happened. Harry chewed over the lines again while his father seemed to be doing the same thing, though with a clearer background. Did this mean that perhaps the resistance was gaining more power? At first Harry felt a surge of joy rushing through him but then he had to remind himself that he hadn't made up his mind whether he still wanted to be the Boy Who Lived anymore. After all he was enjoying being his father's son. However if the resistance was gaining more power than Voldemort would put more man power and resources into crushing them because currently it seemed that Voldemort wasn't even bothered about the resistance. This could mean that Voldemort might wipe them out for good. So either way this was definitely not a good thing.  
  
From the look on his father's face his thoughts were not far from Harry's.  
  
"Alex, my son," the tone of voice was suddenly softened to the indulgent paternal manner again, "I am afraid I will not be able to spend much time with you today but I shall make up for it, Alex. Elf! Take your young master to the Vestal Room and entertain his whims!" with that harsh order Voldemort swept out of the hall and disappeared from sight.  
  
"Master, if you will be so kind to Elf as to..." the poor house elf stopped suddenly as Harry swung around to face it.  
  
"Don't worry about me, just carry on. Where are we going again?" asked Harry with as much kindness in his voice as possible and the elf flattened its snout like nose to the floor in a ridiculously low bow that reminded Harry of the first time he had met Dobby.  
  
"Elf is to ask Master to allow it to take master to the Vestal Room. Would Master comply?" asked the elf hesitantly.  
  
"Sure, I don't see why not and what is your name really because I don't believe that your name is elf," said Harry as he motioned the elf to lead him to his destination as he followed as it lead him out of a side door that he was sure wasn't there in his days at Hogwarts.  
  
"If it pleases Master Elf will change its name," piped the pint sized bunch of rags.  
  
"No, I just want to know your name,"  
  
"Elf's name is Elf," replied the elf not daring to sound like the statement was really obvious.  
  
"But you can't be called elf because if all the house elves were called elf how does anyone distinguish between you?"  
  
"Only one elf is needed to take a message or take and order, Master,"  
  
"You mean there is only one house elf here?" asked Harry in disbelief.  
  
"Oh no Master, there are hundreds of us but we are all called Elf,"  
  
"Well, would you like a name?" asked Harry rather out of the blue.  
  
"Oh elf would be honoured to take a name from Master," squealed the house elf in apparent delight.  
  
"Well, you think of a name that you like and do stop referring to yourself as it. Are you a boy or a girl?" asked Harry before his mind abruptly reminded him that he had been thinking about the elf in terms of "it". He mentally slapped himself.  
  
"Elf..likes Fern, and...she is a girl" muttered the elf hesitantly. Obviously it was rather afraid to express her opinion.  
  
"Yeah, Fern is a nice name.." Harry trailed off as he saw Fern motion to their destination. It was a huge set of double oak doors that lead presumably a very grand room.  
  
"Um...His Lordship prefers to refer to this as the amusement room," said Fern magically opening the door, which looked so heavy that Harry doubted whether he could have open it without magic. It swung open very slowly.  
  
Gradually the room came into view and to Harry's utter astonishment a ray of bright sunshine hit him full blast in the face. The room seemed to be filled At first sight Harry thought it looked like a library but as more of the room came into view he realised the bookshelves were just a collection of books. The beyond the top left corner of the vast hall, which was dedicated to books as complete set of upholstery ranging from armchairs to sofas gathered in a large semi circle around the biggest fireplace Harry had ever seen. It was clear even from such a long distance away that the fireplace was exquisitely decorated with images of snakes carved with great detail into the white marble. The white marble really suited the bright sunlight that was streaming through two twenty-foot windows on either side of it bathing the entire hall in white light. Rather different for my father, thought Harry cynically as he stepped inside the room. He saw quite plainly now that the right side of the room was dedicated to books and other types of reading material while the other side was dedicated to games and toys. To his utter amazement he saw that beyond the large sea of strange and familiar toys was a full sized indoor quidditch pitch.  
  
Gasping with delight, Harry ran towards the sea of toys to try and find some brooms. He found them lying at the edge of the pitch, which had an artificially green floor. He chose the fastest looking broom he could find and soon he was up in the air soaring round the hoops near the ceiling. He looked down to wave at a rather frustrated Fern.  
  
"Don't' worry I'm an expert at flying!" he called down through his adrenaline rush.  
  
* * *  
  
It was half past one before Harry's toes touched the ground once more. He could tell that from the huge clock on the white wall at the other end of the quidditch pitch. Suddenly his stomach gave loud rumble and Fern, who had been dusting the bookshelves looked up and said,  
  
"If Master is hungry, Fern will fetch some food from the kitchens,"  
  
"That would be good," sighed Harry and flopped down on a soft furry rug.  
  
"Fern will be right back," she squeaked and disappeared with a crack. Harry was felt flopped on the rug with beads of sweat running like rivers down his forehead. Suddenly the sound of footsteps too heavy to belong to Fern, who wouldn't walk anyway floated down the hall and though the still ajar door, which Fern hadn't shut properly, accompanied by what sounded like male voices.  
  
"...His Lordship was really pleased with Cardenas. He even got promoted to the inner circle," said one voice  
  
"Well, he wasn't far off it anyway," replied another voice sounding unimpressed. "Besides the guy did catch the soul person the Dark Lord wanted most of all." "Do you recon the Lord's plan is going to work?" asked the first man  
  
"Trust me His Lordship's number one on control. After all he knows him back to front. It will definitely work."  
  
"Well, what if he won't believe us? What do we do then?"  
  
"Trust me the Lords plan is fool proof. Soon he's gonna be putty,"  
  
"Well, let's just hope the Harry Potter hasn't forgotten Sirius Black."  
  
AN: Hehe Cliffhanger but have no fear for the next chapter is near and even more exciting. Guess what Harry makes a decision 


	17. A double discovery

AN: go on enjoy, you know you want to…

It's Just a Nightmare 18

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Harry felt his breath catch in his throat and before he could even think straight the voices disappeared down the corridor. A whole jumble of emotions entered his mind at the same time but the only coherent thought and emotion he could catch was that he needed to see Sirius. Even if it was only for a few minutes or even seconds, to just see Sirius' face.

A plot was already forming in his mind; a rather rash one but weren't Gryffindors known for rash plans? Without further a do he carefully crept out of the room making sure that there was no one in site. Warily he stole to the end of the corridor and peered round the corner. Suddenly a nastily obvious fact hit him full blast in the face. He had absolutely no idea where Sirius was being held captive! Of course the most obvious idea would be the dungeons but Voldemort had since furbished the dungeons into luxurious living quarters and it would be a cold day in hell when his father decided to give Sirius a room.

However Harry was a Slytherin after all and plan B was already in action. He would wait here for Fern to return and request to know where his father kept his prisoners because he was just curious. Fern would no doubt comply thus he would unconsciously and inconspicuously acquire his answer. He would crept down to see Sirius after dinner so Fern would not be with him. Harry would simply tell his father, if the circumstance arose that he was going to just explore the castle and have some fun on his own. "Yes" said Harry to himself in parsletounge, "this plan will not fail."

Fern returned to see her young master carelessly examining a charmed toy, which would morph into different animals when commanded.

"Fern has bought young master his dinner," she chirped in her usual high-pitched voice. Harry looked up with a much more interested look on his face.

"That's great, Fern. Thank you very much. Would you like some too?" he asked indicating to the large pile of sweets and drinks that she had bought. It wasn't exactly dinner but it would do for the mean time.

"Fern, would like to thank master very much but Fern is not allowed to eat food fit for master," the house elf replied in a very informative voice as if they were studying the night sky.

"Oh, I'm sure that no one would know if it was just once, Fern," Harry replied and gestured to a spot next to him on the thick creamy carpet. He needed to get Fern as relaxed and possibly drunk as possible in order to cajole an unsuspecting answer from her. "Do have some butterbeer, it's one of my favourite drinks. I remember we used to drink bottles by the dozen at our victory celebrations in the Gryffindor tower." A pang of lose instantly hit him in the face like a tonne of bricks. When would he ever get to party with his friends again? Probably never, he thought as he gulped down the butterbeer with the posture of a man downing alcohol to suppress to troubles of the world. However Fern's voice cut into his wallowing in self-pity,

"Fern is not allowed to drink, sir," she stated. Harry looked up and silently cursed the difficulty of his plan. Briefly he wondered if he could perhaps force an answer out of her using _Imperio_. What was he thinking of! Using an Unforgivable on probably the only person he could trust in the entire castle! And besides, the nasty little voice in his head added, your father will probably be monitoring all the spells that come out of your wand. Harry hesitated and said,

"Go on, don't worry. As I said before no one will know or find out." He gave Fern his most reassuring smile yet and tipped his glass to hers to apply some pressure. Her resolute finally cracked and she drank to him. From personal experiences Harry knew that one bottle was enough to seriously corrupt a house elf and he watch with well disguised anticipation as the bottle got emptier and Fern got drunker.

"Master must vvrally not blames Burn for not givin' him tosts 'cos she's too tired," giggled Fern. Harry saw his chance and grabbed it eagerly,

"Don't worry, in fact I will be eternally grateful if you will be kind enough to tell me where the dungeons are," said Harry in a hurry. He knew he had only a certain amount of time before Fern would pass out.

"Huh, dungeons? Fern don'ts do stuff in um dungeons dat's dot open to elves. Master Mcnair will be displeased if he finds us down there,"

"But surely you know where the dungeons are Fern! Please tell me!" pleaded Harry casting nervous glances at the door hoping that no one else had heard him shout.

"Fern had no idea, bu if master weally weally wants to know he can follow Mcnair out after dinner 'cos his and his friends are gonna to…." Fern collapsed before she could finish her sentence but Harry had got all he wanted already. So he would have to follow Mcnair if he wanted to see Sirius that is if Mcnair was at dinner. He carefully covered Fern's body with a thick blanket that had previously covered the rocking horse and proceeded to read a book while guarding her.

*

The dinner bell rang loudly through out the whole castle, a good sign that dinner was going to be a communal affair. Fern started to stir in her sleep and Harry practised his alibi for the fourteenth time. Fern opened her eyes to see Harry staring out of the window lost in his own thoughts.

"Master must forgive, Fern for her tardiness," she squeaked in horror as she heard the dinner bell ring for the fourth time and before Harry could stop her she was banging her head on the nearest hard object she could find.

"Stop that, stop it! I forbid you to harm yourself!" yelled Harry as he urgently pried the lamp from her grip. He certainly didn't want to see the only person he could trust in the vicinity of the castle being hurt. Fern smiled thankfully at him and rubbed her flat forehead gingerly with the bulb shaped tips of her fingers.

"Thank you master for your help," squeaked Fern looking at Harry with adoration. "You have been the kindest person to Fern for a very long time!" she saddened and then straightened up again, "Master must go to dinner now, Fern will take you there."

The journey to the dinning hall was silent as Harry contemplated his excuses to leave dinner and follow Mcnair. It wasn't going to be easy to pull off something like this but he had full confidence in his lying skills. After all if he could get by Snape he should be able to get by anybody else. However no matter how much he tried to reassure himself the sick feeling of dread had already started to kick in.

Trying hard to suppress the nasty butterflies in his stomach, Harry opened the grand oak doors once again. To his surprise and disappointment there was only his father stilling his usual place at the head of the table. The monster smiled at him as he sat down cautiously,

"Alex, you should be used to it by now. There is no need to be nervous there will only be us here tonight," Harry opened his mouth to ask why but then decided that it would be rather suspicious. He stared down at his plate hoping that his father could not read minds. It was some sort of meat again; he had never had the initiative to ask what it was.

"Father, what will I be doing this evening?" inquired Harry hoping that he might be able to get some clues to where Mcnair might be. Voldemort looked up curiously from his plate and surveyed his son before speaking in a calmly,

"You may do what ever you wish, my son. There is only potions tuition that is in the evenings, you are free on all the other days," Harry looked back down at his plate. His father's gaze was getting a little too intense for his liking. His heart began to take the strain of his nerves, he could almost feel the eyes sweeping over the side of his head as if they were trying to penetrate into his skull and peer into his mind. Beads of sweat formed on his head and around his nose. Some how he had a huge desire to keep his thoughts from Voldemort, even if the man was his biological father. Biological father, now that was the first time he had ever referred to Voldemort as his biological father. It was as if he was trying to cut all emotional ties with the man but hadn't he always wanted a family of some sort, a true place where he could belong as Harry, or Alex, and not the boy who lived? A suddenly chilling thought occurred to him: did his father resent him; after all it was he who had defeated the man. The thought seemed to make his heart ache. He wanted his father to love him and be like all other families but some how Voldemort just wasn't the kind of father that could do that but Sirius was…………. and Sirius may well have been his father. He needed to save Sirius, Sirius was his father. The thought seemed to have frozen him to the core. It felt like stating the obvious in one way but in another way it felt like a completely new idea. Harry could feel his hand shaking a little as he looked back at his biological father,

"Father," he seemed to choke on the word, "may I leave to go to my room?" Harry asked with all hopefulness. The Dark Lord surveyed him once again and nodded very reluctantly. Harry unsteadily rose from his seat hoping that Voldemort would not notice anything and walked out of the room as fast as possible. 

There was no one outside and the hallway was dark and silent. His footsteps echoed loudly around the cavernous walls and Harry winced every time. He didn't really want to publicize his approach at all. What was he going to do? He was at a dead end. Maybe the house elf had only been imagining things; no it couldn't be the two Death Eaters had been talking about it but by their conversation it sounded as if they were planning to use Harry in some way. He shuddered at the thought of being Voldemort's weapon against his godfather. Slowly, he descended down a random flight of steps still embroiled in his own thoughts to notice where he was going. The air suddenly became chillier as if someone had foolishly switched on an air control system. Gushes of cold air seemed to dash at him and envelope him in their icily arms. Harry shivered but he persisted and soon he came to a long narrow tunnel like corridor lit by the light of a dozen flaming torches, spaced at very long, even intervals. Their meagre pools of light were insufficient in even lighting up most of the wall and there were huge shadows dancing in dark plots along the walls and on the floor. Harry would have considered looking back if it weren't for a candle, which was stuck to the door at the end of the corridor, illuminating the patterns on the wooden door. Cautiously he crept forwards towards the ray of light hoping that the door would not be locked. 

It wasn't. The small but stout oak door swung open under the force of his push. The candle too swung in an arch and the flame was stretched, as it was blow back by a biting draught. Vigilantly, Harry stuck his around the door to see whether the coast was clear. The vicinity was devoided of all life. It was a circular room with a low grey stone ceiling, elucidated by a rusty chandelier of magical candles. There were three other tunnels leading out from this circular room so it seemed like an underground crossroad with no signposts. The air was so thick it became almost oppressive as Harry struggled to decide which way to go next. He wouldn't have continued if he hadn't had that strange sensation that he was being perused. 

He took the tunnel on his right for no reason at all but he liked to think that it was slightly lighter than the other two. The tunnel was lit by the small green candles that desperately needed their wick trimming. The flames flickered and swayed as if their were dancing to some ghostly tune and the shadows danced with them. Harry hurried along hoping to get away from the damp and oppressing air of the tunnel. The tunnel was straight as a rod and Harry could just make out the out line of another door at the far end. A small border of golden light surrounded the frame of the door and Harry felt his neck hair bristle, someone was in there but he didn't want to go back now he felt as if he had just trekked over the Himalayas to get here and he wasn't going back. He could just over ride anyone who disagreed with him; he was the Dark Heir after all. The air got surprisingly cooler as he neared the door and small gusts of biting cold air nipped at him. The door was unlocked and yet again he carefully peered in to see who was there. There was no one there. The place was as silent as the grave and a bit colder too. Harry stepped inside.

The "room" was well lit by magical torches and he could see that the place was built out of rough, dark grey stone that looked as if they had faces. The first part was just a wide space with various armchairs, well worn with use and a desk strewn with parchment next to the grey stone wall. Then the spaced narrowed into a long, wide passage, which ended at another door. The place had a lot of doors, thought Harry was he surveyed his surroundings. He peered curiously down the passage to discover it was lined with sturdy oak doors set along regular intervals in the wall. They seemed to have slides on them so people could talk to each other or for something like that. Curiosity got the better of him and he slid back one of the panels ready to face what ever was inside,

"Fred, George," he screamed in surprise.  

**AN: hope you enjoyed that cliffhanger I promise the next chapter will be on by Monday 20th oct but I don't think it will be as long. PLEASE R+R thx!**


	18. shattered plans

AN:I am very sorry for the lateness of the chapter. The suggestions that I received don't come into the plot just yet as there are other events leading to them as I have spent some time working out the plot. I know that the concept of time is rather difficult in stories where there are long gaps between chapters *blushes * so if anyone wants I'll publish a timeline so that you can be more clear on the events.  ENJOY and PLZ R+R

It's Just a Nightmare 19

            The pair of identically unshaven men stared back at him with wide eyes. Their matted red hair framed their dirty faces. Fred and George looked almost like Sirius when Harry first saw him in the Shrieking Shack. 

            "Harry, man we were hoping to see you!" cried Fred in a very hoarse voice. Harry was almost taken aback by the comment. He had always presumed that no one but a few Death Eater knew about his existence. He pushed himself up and gripped the bars of the small opening in the door to get a better view of Fred and George. 

            "How did you know I was here?" he asked still in much of a daze. The twins ran forwards to get a better look at Harry through the bars,

            "Men have mouths, you know, particularly when they're drunk," said George with the remnants of his classic cheeky grin. 

            "You wait, I'm gonna get you two out of there!" cried Harry as he desperately pulled at the bars. The twin only laughed at his outburst,

            "Man, Harry you're brains must have shrunk or summin. Do you really believe that old Moldy Voldy would make a dungeon door that even a scrawny little boy like you could brake it." Harry let go of the bars and landed neatly on the floor,

            "What do you two assume we do then?" he asked. Fred walked up to the opening and peer down at Harry,

            "Harry, you have to get us out, mate, but not by force. Macnair is the only person in the whole castle who has access to the magical keys that can get us out of here. Even if you flatten the door, which you won't be able to because it's been reinforced with a permanent strengthening charm –" 

            "Fred found that out when we convinced Rubin to drink to his own success." 

            "As I was saying," replied Fred, "There is nothing you can do right no

 to help us, Harry, besides the guards will be back from their dinner very soon. Listen, mate, you have get Macnair's keys by hook or by crook. That is the only way we can get out of here." Harry nodded once and Fred gripped his hand, "Remember, Harry, get Macnair's keys. I assume he keeps them on his person so be careful." Their eyes met and Harry nodded once again. Suddenly the thought of his godfather sprung to mind; he had been too shocked by the appearance of Fred and George that thoughts of Sirius had temporarily flown from his mind,

            "Fred, do you know where Sirius is?" asked Harry desperately. Fred shook his head slowly,

            "Sorry, mate, we know he's here but no in the this chamber, in other one we don't know the location of."

            "But all these cells, who are they for? And have they over heard our conversation?" asked Harry realizing too late. 

            "No one can hear anything if their panel isn't open and I have no idea who is kept in there –" 

            "In fact from what Rubin told us while drunk they are quite empty but I wouldn't check if I were you. Some one might just rat you out to the guards –"

            "So little buddy, you'd better get going if you don't have a death wish but then again the guards will all be too drunk to realize you are not supposed to be here –"

            "And good luck Harry, if you run into any difficulties –"

            "And, or wish to talk to us in anyway –"

            "Just come down between seven and eight. Good luck Harry." George stepped away from the opening and Harry hastily slid the panel back in place. He stared around for some sought of clock but there was none. Feeling slightly panicky, he hurried back the way he came and ran back up the tunnel as fast and as silently as he could. Back into the cavern with the cross road… then a thought hit him. Maybe the other tunnels lead to additional areas of the dungeon where Sirius might be but that would be too risky. Presumably all the guards ate at the same time so they would also return at the same time. He had to get out before he was caught. He could always return to explore tomorrow. 

            Harry soon found himself back at the entrance and breathed a sigh of relief but he moved further down the corridor just encase someone walked by and found him suspicious. Now all he would have to do was make his way back to his chambers before anyone discovered that he was missing. However he had no idea how to get back to his chambers. He knew how to get to the dining hall though but that was no use, as he had not memorized the way back to his chambers. Slowly he walked back to the great hall in a daze and pulled open the oak front door. To his surprise, his father was still at the head of the table sipping some wine from his glass. The monster smiled back at him from his seat,

            "So Alex bored of being on your own?" Harry thought fast and masked his surprise. Voldemort was looking at him in the eye. There really was nothing wrong with the look but somehow there was just something peculiar that Harry couldn't put his finger on it. It was the kind of feeling you get when someone is about to spill the beans on something. 

            "Yeah I kinda missed you…" he trailed off and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. It was such a lame excuse,

            "Come, Alex, let us go back to our chambers." He rose from his chair and all remnants of the meal disappeared. Harry felt very award having his father's hand on his shoulder but masked it up quite well. They proceeded back down into the dungeons and halted outside the door, which swung open of its own accord. 

            "What are we doing tonight?" asked Harry, rather cautiously. The Dark Lord smiled tolerantly down at his son for he was at least two feet taller,

            "I have realized that I am not spending enough time with my only and most precious heir. Therefore I have decided to spend each free evening with you and invite you to Death Eater meetings. It is about time that you started to train for your future, my son. Of course at first you will only play a very minor role in events but I need you to be able to understand how the system operates. However your first social call shall be in the form of a party, where I'm sure that you will be able to make more than a few acquaintances." Harry blinked as he absorbed this speech. In a manner of speaking it was a disaster but on the other hand it would certainly give him a chance of gaining more information about the current situation. However he didn't really like the idea of "training for his future" as it sounded a little too much like Voldemort had some very big plans for him.

An idea had been brewing in his mind for quite a long time already, if his presence was of little strategic importance to Voldemort than maybe he would be more willing to let Harry go. Of course making Voldemort dislike him might just result in a stream of green light but if he could make Voldemort indifferent to his presence than maybe he could escape, after all he thought there would be no real security around him, and stay away without much difficulty. He felt a hand land on his shoulder and looked up from his contemplation. Red eyes bored into his own and a thin smile appeared on the Dark Lord's lips. Before he even realized what he had said it came out,

            "You can read my mind. You're a mind reader!" Voldemort nodded slowly and preceded,

            "Yes my boy, I am a 'mind reader' as you chose to call it but contrary to popular belief I do not need eye contact to read minds, even protected ones and yours Alex or maybe Harry are as clear as brook water." At this he cupped the boys chin in his hand forcefully and his voice became cruel, "I wouldn't be too sure of that plan your making. For one there is a very tight security around you, a watertight security system. You may be wondering how it can be fool proof but believe me you can't even walk out of the door. Secondly if you do manage to escape I will hunt you down and for every hour that you are away I will have your godfather tortured for ten hours. Don't' forge ignorance I know you have found out that your godfather and friends are here, I knew the moment I saw you that you had been to visit them. I will not let you go and I will crush every once of rebellion you have in you the hard way unless you are willing to co operate," Voldemort pause and gently stroked the boy's cheek wiping away a tear in the process. His voice became gentle yet again, "I don't want to hurt you Harry but believe me it is hurting me more than it is you. I don't wish to punish you or make your life miserable so if you just settle down and enjoy your life here we will both be very happy." He drew the boy into a loving hug and Harry collapsed in his arms. He gently carried the boy back into their chambers. 

AN: Sorry I made Voldie a bit mean but I want to show that he has two sides to his personality like everyone else. Some people see him as pure evil and others totally good towards his son but a character like Lord Voldemort has to have some dominate and harsh qualities to his personality that are not easily suppressed if he has been able to become the most feared Dark Lord. 

Next chapter: the party, voldie explains to us his watertight security system and much more. 


	19. New Developments

AN: I'm sorry that this chapter doesn't include the party but it has some new developments. Harry is very confused when he wakes up because of the spell that Voldemort puts on him so please don't take what he thinks into too much detail. Voldemort intended for Harry to remember what he said but he over did it. 

It's Just a Nightmare 20

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          It is rather ironic that a Dark Lord the destructor of love and light could be so attached to a boy, debatably his son but still so attached. It was probably the reason why the blood linked spells worked so well. Voldemort could not help but smile at his own cleverness. Of course the most obvious way of controlling the boy was to use blood spells but the ones that he had cast on the boy were of his own ingenious invention. 

            Blood spells worked by linking the magic of two relatives together magically. Magical relatives, especially pure blood ones would already be linked magically but the bond is weak even in immediate family and hard to utilise. A Blood Bondage spell could easily enhance that bond and make it easier to utilize. To utilize a blood spell means to send magical spells or impulses through his invisible link to the other person who did not cast the spell for the caster was the controller and the victim the controlled. These spells were amazingly strong as they went straight from the caster to the magic in the blood stream without having to cross boundaries such as clothing, skin and the person's natural mind and magical barriers. 

For a spell to work the magical impulses from the wand have to penetrate into the magic and the mind of the victim. Spells are like a nerve signal but they can control inanimate objects too. The spell is only an outside stimulus that induces the energy inside objects to perform in such a way that makes the symptoms of the spell appear. However the magical impulses from a spell can be drastically weakened by magical barriers which magical people set up unconsciously that is why it is easier to cast spells on muggles and why a blood spell can be so strong as it bypasses the magical barriers. 

All Voldemort had to do in order to control the boy was to utter a few magic words such as Imperio and the boy would be unable to resist. Of course he could cast the spell on the boy from anywhere in the world and it would still just be as strong. The ancient Blood Spells only enhanced the magical bond enough for certain classes or groups of spells to cross over the bond and these groups were further classed as Blood Spells but Voldemort's new Blood Bondage Spell could enhance the bond so much that any spell could pass through without difficulty. With this the boy had no means of being able to escape or run very far but he did not wish to keep the boy under Imperio for the rest of his life so he needed to crush any rebellion cursing through the boy's veins. He would not let the boy go. Harry and Alex were his and he was very possessive of what was his.

Harry opened his eyes and found himself on a bed, his bed the bed that he had been sleeping in ever since he had arrived at this place in time. The memories of his passed life were so blurred now and they seemed so far away even though he had only been here for a short time. What had happened last night? All he remembered was having a great fear of Voldemort, his father but the fine details were so very blurred. However he had a strange feeling, as you do when you try to remember a dream, that Voldemort has something terrifying, something so awful that it could possibly hurt the people he loved. Harry mentally shook himself, it was probably all just some stupid dream of his and he really didn't have time for moping around when he still had to come up with a plan to save Sirius and the twins. He lifted his duvet, clambered out of his bed and proceeded to dress in the only clothes available, Slytherin robes. Suddenly a faint pop greeted his ears and he saw Fern appear next to him.

"Master has ordered that Young Master must dress in dress robes for the formal occasion," stated Fern as if she were reciting the bible. Harry quite taken back, he didn't have any dress robes in his wardrobe. Fern, as if she knew what he was thinking pointed to a neatly folded pile of forest green material lying on his bed, which was definitely not there before.

"He wants me to dress up for a party," said Harry, even the sentence sounded ludicrous; Voldemort was having a party. A very amusing mental image of Death Eaters at a disco popped into his mind and he couldn't help laughing at his visualisation of Snape dancing away with no top on. When he had recovered from his little self-amusement phrase, he found that Fern was giving him very strange looks. Harry just shook his head to indicate that he couldn't make her understand if he tried, after all had house elves even heard of disco? 

 "Young master must hurry up, his Lordship is waiting," insisted Fern. Harry blinked in surprise at that statement. It had never really occurred to him that people held parties in the morning. Of course it was perfectly viable but he had just presumed that the party would be in the evening. Rather taken aback Harry replied,

"Of course I won't keep him waiting or get you into trouble." He hurried to struggle into the mass of material that was his dress robes. The material, which Harry couldn't identify, was soft but strong and had snakes embroided into the fabric with silver thread. As he stepped up to the mirror and saw himself, he thought, even Malfoy would call it spectacular. Sliver cloth lined the borders of the fabric and real silver button with the Slytherin family crest was sewed on. There was also a belt, which Harry did not notice at first that was clearly made from the pelt of an animal. It was dark brown with small emeralds encrusted at regular interval. He carefully slipped the belt into place and fastened it. The process made him feel quite a different person, no longer the despised orphan who only had hand-me-downs but a prince in regal dress. 

"If Young Master is willing, Fern will tell his Lordship that you are ready," said Fern. Harry decided that he would rather approach Voldemort than vice versa as he felt more secure with this arrangement for no apparent reason. Perhaps it was the thought of surprising Voldemort and giving himself the upper hand in some obscure way. 

"No thanks, Fern, I'll go an see him," replied Harry and straightened his collar. 

He found Voldemort sitting comfortably in one of the armchairs just like the second day he was here, reading a newspaper. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed. 

"My son, did you sleep well but I do hope that sleep hasn't made you forget about our little talk last night," hissed Voldemort in an almost threatening way. Suddenly the terrible memories flooded back into Harry's conscious mind as he remembered about the talk. 'For every hour your are away, I will have your godfather tortured for ten hours'. The words became engraved on his brain. The shocked look on Harry's face must have prompted Voldemort to say more, "As I told you before if you behave than I will have no need to harm your friends or godfather. So I advise you to crush any rebellious thoughts now before it gets nasty." Harry swallowed and nodded. "Let us have our breakfast in our chambers. It's a little more intimate, don't you think?" 

The food arrived in an instant and his father was very pleasant throughout the meal of delicious but strange items that Harry could not name. Voldemort encouraged him to eat as much as possible and they had very amicable conversations. _Maybe it wasn't so bad after all to be my father's son_. Harry mentally kicked himself for being so stupid but his father was so nice, so caring now that he couldn't feel any ill will towards him at all. His stomach churned as he thought of the things he had been planning to do. _No, he's just messing with my feelings. He doesn't care for me only wants me for a slave. _Seenign his father's eyes trailing on him Harry abruptly stopped thinking about these things and continued to eat. The conversation soon turned to the party that was going to be held,

"Father, what is this party for?" inquired Harry in his most innocent voice for he had already thought of using the time to his advantage. He planned to find out as much as possible about the world situation at this time. Voldemort had not even let him out of the castle ever since he had arrived but then again he had only been here for less than five days. The Dark Lord also refused bluntly to talk about the political situation after his brief that he ruled the world and that some people were slaves. The thought of the political situation had been driven from his mind soon after he had become Alex and when Harry had resurfaced he had lots of other things to think about. He briefly wondered whether he wanted to know what the political situation was like. Would all the non-pureblood people be slaves? Would his father have killed off all the muggles? Had Voldemort taken over the world or just Britain, after all he had been rather vague. His train of thought was distracted by Voldemort's reply,

"This party has is to be held so that my Inner Circle can have time to associate with one another. Socialisation is very important. Don't get upset though, there will be an official welcome party for you in the next month but I haven't got round to planning it yet, for I intend to plan myself." At this Voldemort gave Harry an indulgent look. Harry felt rather confused, as he hadn't even thought that there would be a welcoming party for him and apparently Voldemort thought that he would be upset when he found out the party wasn't for him. 

"I understand, Father, but at what time does it start?" asked Harry.

"Four in the afternoon," was the reply. Harry was rather taken a back. Four? So why was he wearing these dress robes? Not that he minded out all. 

"What will I be doing before the party comes?" inquired Harry. Voldemort stroked his chin and said,

"Anything you wish, my boy, why not amuse yourself in the Vestal room. I do regret that I can't spend this morning with you as I have a lot of work to get on with." They finished the rest of their meal in silence. Harry found himself rather at a loss. He had hoped that Voldemort would have sounded more upset than that but then again was Voldemort even used to showing emotion? But what about the time that he had told Harry he loved him? The other part of Harry's brain however was very please to get the whole morning to himself as that would mean more time to think up a plan to help the prisoners in the cells. 

Harry once again found himself inside the huge bright room filled with toys beyond the imagination. Fern had just left him to attend to some other more pressing matters. It was actually Harry who had persuaded her that he didn't need any supervising. He carefully picked his way through the throng of different toys to the quidditch set. Flying usually took his mind of all the troubles he had and now that he had more to add to his long list of lamentations, he really needed a break. However he found it hard to concentrate as he soared above the pitch searching for the snitch. Voldemort's mind reading ability was a very big hazard to Harry. He had spent the time it took him to walk to the Vestal Room pondering this very problem. How could he hide is inner secrets of Voldemort's prying mind? He briefly wondered whether there was some way of magically defending himself against intrusion but he had no one he trusted to ask. After all everyone in the castle was under Voldemort's direct control and it would benefit them to tell the Lord everything they knew in order to seek his favour. Maybe if he could just go into the dungeons one more time and try to find Sirius again. He knew he could not devise a plan all on his own with the limited knowledge he had of magic and the rest of this new world. However the idea that there was still a resistance against Voldemort gave him hope that maybe, just maybe someone might rescue him and the other prisoners. 

The moment Harry's feet touched solid ground, he carefully packed away his broom and peeped outside. The hall was devoided of any movement and he stuck more of his body out to get a better view of the surrounding area. The thick black carpet on the floor obliterated any noise his feet made as he hurried down the corridor. He mentally told himself not to hurry or he would look suspicious to any house elves passing by. He had taken steps to memorize some landmarks such as carvings and statues on the way back from the dungeons so now he could find it with ease. 

Suddenly a wave of guilt washed down on him and a voice in the back of his mind had something to do with it. _Stop! How dare I disobey Father after all that he had done for me! He saved me from those manipulators in Hogwarts; he bought me here to live with him and cared for me. _Harry shuddered; he certainly didn't want Alex back again but was it Alex? Alex was a lot more horrid than this? Could it possibly be  . That would jeopardise any chances of assisting the resistance; besides Voldemort didn't care for him in any way. He was only seen as a possession and nothing else. Harry had been working hard to convince himself that Voldemort was the unfeeling and evil man that everyone believed him to be but every time his father was kind to him deep feelings of love would sweep over him making rebellion even less likely. _No, this isn't the time to think about these things now. I need to find Sirius and make sure that he's alright. I need more information about the situation before I can even attempt to help the resistance. _

Without further a do Harry pushed all thoughts to the back of his head with a vengeance and cautiously crept down the familiar hallways. His breath hitched in his throat as he heard the sound of conversation and footsteps floating down the corridor and to his intense discomfort it was in parseltounge,

"Yes Nagini, I shall be spending more time with the boy as you advised, only he seems to have slipped back into his former self." At the sound of his father's voice Harry immediately ducked into a cove behind a rather ugly statue.  

"I'm sure he will be fine in times to come but I implore you to treat him with more care. You need his affection. His spirit is too strong to be held down by force but must be caged with love and affection. If you indeed wish to keep him I advise you to wipe his mind. It is too full of hatred for you to ever be able to recover."

"I will consider that point but what about his lessons? I hope to start them quite soon. He has had too much time at liberty in that toy room. I wish to brush up on his skills, after all I need a powerful heir." A somewhat amused sound escaped from what Harry thought was the snake Nagini. 

"Many people will be surprised at you giving up the quest for immortality."

"You and I both know it was but a cover story to get support from those spineless toads. I had always planned to carry on the Slytherin bloodline."

"Does Alex know about his mother? Have you even told him who she was?" 

"He……………………knows her name."

"You should talk more about her to him no doubt that will gain you some points in his heart. However I am rather frightened about his split personality. You must nip the problem in the bud for if it is not dealt with now Alex risks going insane. I suggest you eradicate the side that is hostile to you now."

"No I have thought long about this too and I need Harry, Alex is too twisted to love. I am a good judger of character. He will develop into something unmanageable. I need Harry………….. I suppose I shall have to pull out Alex by force. Will it do too much damage to Harry?"

"The implications are widespread but mostly it will be his mind that suffers the most although physical damage will also be inflicted. He will perhaps have a nervous breakdown or coma but with his strength of magic he will pull through. However it will not make him love you anymore."

"I hope he understands that what I am about to do to him is for his own good. And then what? Shall I wipe his memory?"

"Yes now will be the time. If you had wiped his memory at the beginning you would have only brought out Alex but now with Alex gone there will be only Harry left with all his devotion reserved for you,"

"Good I shall do it tomorrow morning when he is well rested. I trust the process will not take long?"

"Half an hour at the most but still you mustn't rush. He is still a fragile boy."

"Right, come let us check on the boy, I'm sure he will be interested to meet you. After all I don't think you socialised with him much before hand. Now that you are back from the mission I'm glad to have you two acquainted."

Harry stopped breathing. 

AN: Hey guys I'm back and with a vengeance I know it's a cliffhanger but next chapter: does harry manage to get back before his father or is he punished? The party with old faces and much more.

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	20. Some thoughts courtesy of Avery

AN: Hi, sorry for the long but I haven't abandoned the story and never will. This chapter is not that dramatic but gives lots of important information, which plays a vital role in the plot i.e. _more Snapey!!_. Enjoy.

It's Just a Nightmare 21

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            Harry stopped breathing. The information was still raw in his mind: his father, no _Voldemort_ was about to ripped away part of his being and wipe his memory. Now that was scary, although not half as scary as the consequences of being found eavesdropping. A powerful instinct immediately took over his mind and he froze inside his hiding place hoping that he would not be seen. Suddenly his heart jolted forwards, he could hear the duo stop and distinctly heard Nagini whisper something into Voldemort's ear. Harry breathing increased a notch as he remember from his second year that snakes could taste chemicals emitted by their prey in the air and he was very conscious of the sweat that was beginning to form on the tip of his nose. There was no way to go. The statue was situated in an alcove set back from the main part of the corridor and only way to get out was to run into the hallway. He knew he would be caught and braced himself for the impact but the more Slytherin side of his brain could not help but try to think up some rather good excuses. However Voldemort could read minds so lying was certainly not an option. 

            Measured footsteps approached the statue and Harry drew in a deep breath. A large part of him desperately wanted to stay rooted on the stop and hope that the danger would pass but something in the back of his mind told him to fight back. He was not going to hide like a coward behind a statue. He was a Gryffindor and he was going to look danger in the eye with a glare. With one fluid movement he stepped out from behind the statue and squared his shoulders at Voldemort who was a good foot taller than he was. An evil smirk twitched at the corners of the dark lord's face,

            "So young Harry, I guess you have been eavesdropping on our conversation. Did you find anything to your advantage? No doubt you want to know more?"

            "I think you are a sadistic, twisted man. Go to hell Voldemort, I'm not afraid of you!" Harry glared up into the red eyes. However Voldemort's smirk became much larger. 

            "Oh I have no doubt you fear me very much even if you foolish Gryffindor pride refuses to admit it. I suppose now is the time to do it. No doubt you know what I am about to do but this is for your own good," a flash of emotion crossed his face, "I want you to know that this is hurting me more than it is hurting you." with one swish of his wand the trio were back in their chambers. Harry's eyes diluted with fear. In the centre of the room was a table covered in a thick padding of blood red cloth with leather straps. "Yes, I have been preparing this for tomorrow but seen as you already know I think we shall have to begin. It will hurt no doubt but, son, it is for your own good." 

Harry found himself strapped to the table in an instant and he struggled as hard as possible but it was just futile. He stared up into the glowing red orbs of his father's eyes just as a jet of blue lightening struck his infamous scar. The pain was unbearable; it felt as if every cell of his body was sizzling in a deep fryer. He felt his body jerk as if being electrocuted. Suddenly his lung muscles seized up and spasm shot through his ribcage causing Harry to gasp for air. The pain intensified as Voldemort started to mutter other words unheard by Harry. Abruptly the pain drained from the lower part of his body, leaving a dull ache in his legs as a reminder. The pain was congregating in his torso and slowly migrating up to his head where it hit full force. His brain was being fried as hot pokers scoured the inside of his skull. Unexpectedly a new kind of pain erupted. A hot blade was slowly being pushed into his brain and was agonisingly cutting his brain into two. The blade progressed sizzling the matter that came into contact. It was nearing its destination a few more minutes……it was then that Harry's world went blank. 

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"How long will it take him to heal, Avery?" demanded the Dark Lord as he sat in an armchair beside his sleeping son. Avery, a talented Slytherin, wasted no time in pinning all responsibility on another,

"Well, my lordship that would ultimately depend on how well these potions work. I must say, with no political element of course, that these _complicated_ healing potions are not to their usual standard. A potion's master's handiwork cannot hold a candle to a potions adept." 

"There is no need to pinion your _handiwork_ on your tools, Avery. Now answer my question!" hiss Voldemort in his most dangerous voice

"I am so sorry to have offended you my lord. The prince will be able regain consciousness within the next few days." Avery's speech, though steady betrayed hints of fear. 

"The precise time if you please," was the sarcastic reply.

"Probably the day after tomorrow, my lord, but," he hastily added, "that is no guarantee."

"I don't expect there to be one. Supervise your men in the complete recovery of my boy and it may just smooth over some of your earlier deeds during my long absence," red eyes flared up like two torches.

"Yes, my lord, of course you are infinitely merciful and forgiving……" the rest of the reply was cut off by the slamming of the door. 

Avery turned back to his young patient lying among the silk sheets. He would have to tread carefully once the boy was awake. Although he was not against the Dark Lord, he was discontent. The removal of Severus from the political ranks had lost him a valuable ally. Severus was indeed the most slippery snake in the basket, constantly skipping from side to side. Once the Order was on the downslide dear Snape hopped back into the ranks by presenting the head of the infamous Kingsley Shacklebolt. 

However the Dark Lord harboured huge amounts of doubt about his potions master. In the aftermath of that incident Severus took the exam for potions adept in order to prove his worth. The Dark Lord had been able to obtain some potions masters from other countries, none who were as good as Severus, but none the less he had them. With this fact flung in his face Snape craftily organised the adept exam, something that had not been performed in at least three centuries.

Of course Avery had never doubted Snape's success and apparently neither did a lot of other people, as his long time ally was then swamped by supporters from every circle of the ranks. However, much like the Gringotts stock market, support wavered and slipped after the Dark Lord practically locked him inside the fort and expressed his desire that Severus should be on hand to supply his with restoration potions. Of course this was a less than feasible excuses, as Avery knew restoration potions were a long way from his lordship's mind. This set up was quite obviously to stop Severus' active political life and to remove him from focus. Needless to say most people soon forgot about him altogether. 

Throughout the War Snape was kept virtually inactive only being required to brew potions that were too advanced for the potions masters. Soon after the war ended and most of the opposition was removed. Voldemort found a better way to keep the lid on Severus. He was sent to the fringes of the Empire to "out down rebellions" as his lordship had put it but any half-wit would have figured that Snape was being banished for good. 

This was all very much a headache for Avery as the removal of his most potent ally. Although he knew his own advancement in the ranks would be slow at best, the departure of Severus had made advancement almost impossible. He was shunted sideways, given the title of Chief Medicate and put in charge of a small band of healers. They were expected to be on hand to deal with ailments of the inner circle even though Avery had to admit himself that they were not as good as the healers in St. Mungos. Not that his standard was inadequate but the foreign healers had some appalling standards. 

            Avery shook his head in dismay. Never in all his years of service had he expected to be stuck tending to pulled muscles and minor burns. He was one of the greatest anatomists of his generation and had spent seven years studying the effects of poisons on the body in Romania. Now with Severus gone there was only a handful left of the Left. The Inner Circle worked in mysterious ways and it had taken Avery some time to understand the system. There was predominantly two groups in the Inner Circle, Left and Right called accordingly for their political beliefs. Jugson and Mcnair were currently heading the Left, while the Lestranges and Malfoy retained an uneasy alliance to the Right. Severus and Avery had once been of predominant power in the Left but with Severus gone Avery's removal was instantaneous.  

            Avery tried to clear his mind of all the memories and concentrated on the task at hand, administrating Benoal solution into his young patient's veins. This would be able to help him regain consciousness more rapidly. What his lordship wants his lordship get by hook or by crook. 

AN: Next chapter will be up in the next few weeks because I am writing furiously to squeeze in some more chapters before the exams. Next chapter will involve the reawakening and the long awaited beginning of the party. Please R+R thx. 


	21. The colour green

AN: Sorry about the long wait I am doing some very important exams this year, which could determine my future! And I don't think I did too well. Anyway enough of my depressions talk. I truly am sorry and updates will be regular. This is actually a double bill so the next up date will be in anytime from the 8th of august to the 10th. Enjoy and please review! Thx!

It's Just a Nightmare 22

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He opened his eyes and stared at the strange green canopy over head. The sheets felt strange against his skin, cool and almost slimy. His mind was oddly blank for so early in the morning but he had wonderful sites and smell to explore.

The room was ornately decorated in a gothic style. Everything in the room adhered to the universal theme so that all the furniture looked as if it had come from one complete set. Although he had a rather frail sense of order, Harry admired corresponding upholstery. The carpet like all other pieces of colour in the room, or rather chamber as it was extremely spacious, was a dark shade of green. The chamber contained numerous shades of green, some that Harry had never come across before. The rather monotonous colour scheme proved to be more fascinating than expected, there seemed to be so many ways in which one could use the colour green. However somewhere in his hazy subconscious a strange sort of aversion bubble through. He quite liked the colour green but some how the connotation was not too pleasant. Harry frowned in concentration trying to find the strange root of his dislike but find it was all in vain, his mind was just too foggy and the concept hung just out of reach.

There were three windows at the back of the room, all three were full length Victorian sash windows with emerald velvet curtains neatly drawn at both sides by silver cords. On closer inspection the cords were shaped like small silver snakes entwining around each other. The boy frowned once again; somewhere in the back of his mind he seemed to feel a strange sort of connection with the small serpents, some unnatural connection. He briefly wondered why there was constant theme of silver serpents running through out the room but he pushed it aside as the door opened.

A handsome middle-aged man walked into the room dress in ornate green robes that matched the décor. Harry felt a sudden recognition spark through his brain but then it was gone again and he was left facing the stranger. The man smiled in a paternal way at Harry leaving him even more mystified.

"I hope you are feeling better my son, you have been very ill. Your memory has no doubt been effected," said the soft soothing voice of the stranger. Harry's eyes widened with surprise, father? "I know you do not recognise me, Harry, I am your father, Voldemort Salamir Slytherin. Does the name ring a bell?" That strange sense that he was missing something very important came back to him and he tried once more to locate the seemingly familiar name. Voldemort, it made him feel, fear, anger, hatred but he had no idea why. Some how he was more intent on believing this man was his father than someone he hated. His father's kind tone soothed him and made him feel less confused.

"So you're father," stated Harry as if to reassure himself. Deep down he felt the involuntary yearning for someone to call father and again there was no logical reason, hadn't he had his father all through his life. After all the man did say that he had only been ill and that his memory was affected by the illness. "I don't remember anything about you," whisper Harry rather hurt. Voldemort nodded, thank heavens he had given the boy an extremely strong dose of calming potion or the lose of his memories would have driven him insane by now.

"It doesn't matter, Harry, we can make new memories to compensate," his father murmured reassuringly and Harry felt himself drawn into an embrace. He was surprised at first but he responded. Voldemort couldn't help but smile.

"Do I have a mother?" asked Harry as he pulled away from the embrace. It only seemed logical for him to have a mother as well but why wasn't she here with like his father was? Somehow at the back of his mind, he felt that his mother would definite not turn up. Voldemort was rather taken aback by the question but it was to be expected. He slowly turned away from his son and signed as if in grief, it best to keep his mother a taboo subject. However his little piece of drama had more consequences than he had thought. The boy's face suddenly dropped and his voice sounded rather frightened, "Have I offended you, father, I didn't mean it,"

"No my son, your mother was a wonderful person but she had alas passed away some time ago. She died a few months after you were born so will not remember her." Harry blinked, the idea of having a deceased mother seemed rather familiar, in fact he couldn't quite work up a strong sense of grief.

Maybe I do still retain some of my old memory, he thought, maybe these strange gut feelings are the remnant of my strongest memories, but why did this chamber stir deep inside him a sense of primitive fear and hatred? Surely he was happy with father? A most unpleasant thought occurred to him and he tried to push it away to no avail. How had he become ill? Somehow the reason did not seem to be feasible to him. The best way was probably to ask his father but a small voice screamed at him to stop. Taking a big gulp of breath Harry ploughed on,

"Father, how come I became ill? What disease did I catch?" Voldemort looked saddened and gently patted his head. Harry could feel the tense muscles in the man's hand, very much like the tense muscles his abdomen when the man had hugged him.

"We do not yet know the disease but my healers believe that it was foreign and carried via vectors. No doubt you picked up in the forest and for hence became very ill. There are many disease that cause people to lose their memories but most memory loses are not permanent and I hope yours won't be either." Harry nodded; maybe if he tried hard enough he might be able to regain his memory naturally.

"Father, where do we live?" asked Harry cautiously as he realised that he had no idea where his home was. Voldemort also nodded in understanding and sat down on the edge of the bed,

"I realise this my all be a bit much for you so don't push yourself. When you feel that you can't digest anymore information tell me so and I shall stop." He looked to Harry for some sign of recognition and the boy nodded in response. They both felt that nodded now was the best option for expressing a variety of different emotions as neither of them wanted to speak more than necessary. "You are Henry Alexander Salamir Slytherin but most people will call you Harry. I am your father Voldemort Salamir Slytherin and I am Supreme Councillor over Europe. Basically I am the ruler of Europe." Harry gasped, he never thought he could have been a member of the aristocracy. Suddenly he had a feeling that some one would not have been very pleased to find out that he was an aristocrat. "Do you want me to stop?" asked Voldemort looking concerned.

"No, it's just rather overwhelming, that's all but please continue."

"I will have to ask you a question now, what do you now by the term wizard?" asked Voldemort slowly as if weighing his words.

"I'm a wizard," Harry blurted out before he could stop himself but he felt as if it was right. In fact he felt as if it had been etched in stone inside his brain. He _was_ a wizard.

"Good, do you remember any spells?" Voldemort continued to prod at Harry's memories. Suddenly it was as if a dam had been broken and sudden flood of knowledge crashed down on his mentality. He could sense that he knew so many spells, from levitation charms to dreamless sleep potions. As he sifted through the waters he found strange emotions attached to each spell, some he seemed to like more than others, perhaps they had been easy to learn. Some he seemed to feel guilt pouring out of them, which he could not explain. Another spell reminded him of a broom….flying…..playing _quidditch_. More floodgates crashed open and he flet a strange sought of jubilance, perhaps he had also been good at quidditch? He seemed to relish the feeling of wind whipping through his hair, excitement of a match but somehow he couldn't remember any specific matches of opponents but he knew as a gut instinct that he had played seeker.

"I like quidditch," stated Harry looking into his father's eyes. Voldemort nodded, by the look in his eyes Voldemort knew the boy had remembered his education and perhaps some of his hobbies. Of course the spell would prohibit him from remembering anything personal from the time before Harry had come into his hands.

"It seems you remembered more than I thought," said Voldemort as he put on proud smile for Harry's sake, "I realise that you don't; remember any personal names but do Malfoy, Dumbledore and Sirius mean anything to you?" Harry suddenly felt the oddest assortment of emotions. For the first name he seemed to feel a deep sense of loathing mixed in with some grains of strange pity. The name Dumbledore suggested to him a king cuddly man with lots of hair someone that made him feel safe but somehow he felt in some ways he rather disliked the man. Sirius, the name felt so nice on his tongue, he could only feel love, devotion and a strange sense of grief for this man, for he knew instinctively that it was a man.

"I seem to feel strange emotions from them," confessed Harry, "Malfoy seems rather means and I'm not sure whether I should like Dumbledore but Sirius sounds like a nice person." For a moment he frowned, "Who are they, really?"

"Lucius Malfoy is one of my trusted advisers although at times I have had cause to doubt his loyalty. I believe that your animosity stems from your acquaintance with Draco Malfoy his son. You two were never really the best of friends," Harry's face fell, he hadn't really thought about his friends or enemies. "Don't worry my son, there will be time to make amends. In fact you will meet him at the Mid Summer Serenade soon." Harry blinked in confusion and Voldemort continued, "A party of sorts and you will be required to wear some dress robes that shall be tailored for you in the mean time." Harry nodded; he at least knew what dress robes were.

"Can you tell me more about Dumbledore and Sirius?" asked Harry as the silence lengthened.

"Dumbledore, I shall leave for a later date because I have much to say to you on that topic but I shall tell you now that he is not to be trusted. Sirius' stories is too complicated to abridge so we shall discuss that at another time" Harry concurred, after all his father might tell him more when the time came. "Now let us move back to our original topic, Harry. I suppose I should tell you more about your mother. She was a beautiful and talented woman. I was very much in love with her but as I said she died sometime after you were born. I entrusted you to the care of my followers who blundered. You were kidnapped by my enemies and hidden from me." Harry gasped in shock. His life was a little more exciting than he once thought.

"When did you get me back?" He asked with trepidation

"It was a while before I could locate you. I killed your captors and rescued you, Harry. They won't hurt you again. I do believe that you needed some rest to take all of this in Harry so I shall leave you alone for a while. A tailor will come in and take your measurements. Have a good rest, my son." The expression on Voldemort's face was almost paternal but it made Harry rather uneasy.

"I will, father. When will you be back?" asked Harry feeling rather confused at his father's plans for the abrupt departure.

"I shall be back tonight to take you to the Mid Summer Serenade. Rest well." with that his lordship smiled at his son and disappeared with a whirl of his robes leaving Harry feeling very self-conscious.

animals or insects that carry diseases but the disease doesn't affect them.

AN: sorry nothing much happens in this chapter but it is vital for the plot and the next chapter will be up shortly as this is like a double bill. PLEASE RR thx!


	22. The visitor

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AN: I apologize profusely for my lazyness. There will be more updates regularly but **I will need to revamp the other chapter and a beta reader. ANYONE WANT TO OFFER? Enjoy the chapter. **

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**It's Just a Nightmare 23**

Harry's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the door creaking open and found himself face to face with a plump witch who looked as if she had smiled all her life but now seemed to think it was prudent not too.

Her full head of voluminous and wavy blonde hair was ill befitted into a large tight bun that seemed to need a considerable amount of maintenance to uphold. Bulky curls of hair stuck out of the bun in haphazardous ways and bounce as she drew away with a wince,

"I'm so sorry your highness. I was merely here to take your measurements," she grimaced as if she had expected an attack. Harry smiled brightly at her; she seemed a nice enough person,

"Oh don't worry, you didn't wake me up." He said brightly and jumped out of bed. The sleep had refreshed him even if it was short lived. The lady looked rather flabbergasted but proceeded to take his measurements.

Her movements were rather awkward and restrained, as though she had to touch him as little as possible. Finally she drew away quickly and gave him a feeble smile,

"Um….if you don't mind my lord, can I perhaps set up in here?" her voice wavered uncertainly and her lips were pressed together more tightly than before. Although Harry didn't know what "set up" meant, he had a fair idea that she was probably going to display some of her wares.

"Sure, it be more convenient for you, wouldn't it?" the witch looked rather puzzled and Harry notice the beads of perspiration glistening on her forehead. Surely she was not that afraid of him? He didn't look very harmful and although he hadn't looked in a mirror he had the gut instinct that he had always been a small boy.

"Oh thank you, my lord, thank you," said the witch with a mixture of confusion and relief.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself, I'm Harry," The woman clearly did know who he was but he wanted to be introduced to her and was too gallant to do so directly. The witch's complexion became fainter and so did her lips. For ten seconds there was total silence in the room and the air drew thick with tension. It was finally broke by her high pitched nervous giggle,

"My name is Lola, um …. Just really Lola,"

"I'm pleased to meet you Lola. What are you going to set up?" asked Harry as he saw for the first time a small suitcase lying on the floor beside the door. "And please just relax, I'm really not dangerous!" Although it was meant to be a joke, Lola certainly calmed down somewhat and smiled appreciatively at Harry.

"I'm just going to open my suitcase and let you chose the material." With a flourish of her want the suitcase shot up into the air and expanded into a worktable and wall display of various materials. Lola gently set them down beside her and rearranged some lopsided robes.

"Wow, that was great. Must be good to have such a convenient suitcase," exclaimed Harry. Lola blushed at the praise and set about extracting various materials from inside the drawers. They all turned out to be an assorted variation of dark green silks. The strange instincts that has plagued him before had come back and were loudly protesting against the choice of colour, in fact he felt almost traitorous.

"Now let's see which one you're most comfortable in?" said Lola as she held a piece of silk against his hands. On closer inspection, what he thought had been a strange sort of light reflection on the silk turned out to be embroiderings of snakes in a shiny green thread. The colour was so similar to the fabric that the snakes were almost camouflaged. Like a snake in the grass, waiting to strike, thought Harry and immediately felt rather weird. Why had a piece of fabric prompted him to feel such strange negative emotions?

"Can I change the colour," Harry blurted out without thinking. Lola immediately withdrew the fabric and looked rather stressed,

"I'm really, sorry your lordship…" but Harry objected

"No call me Harry, please,"

"Harry, but his Highness ordered me to only bring green fabrics," she finished rather dejected. Harry smiled, wearing green was fine, in fact he had a feeling that green would look very nice on him. Hadn't someone once said it would bring out the colour of his eyes? As to who the person was Harry was relatively clueless and his mind was covered in a blanket of fog.

"It's ok, just not really used to wearing green that's all but I think I'd like it," he said feeling rather ashamed.

"Oh you will," said Lola jumping at the chance to defend herself, "Gorgeous, it'll bring out those lovely eyes of yours." Harry started, the phrase seemed so evocative to his sealed up memories. He could almost smell the pastry baking in the red agar over and he could hear the warm tones of a plump red hair woman telling him about his new dress robes.

Quite taken a back at his stream of memories, Harry forcefully jerked himself back to reality where Lola was nervously ringing her hands in anticipation. He could only force himself to smile in order to relieve her stress.

"I'm sure these dress robes will be just fine for the Serenade, Lola," he said as he indicated to the long sweeping forest green gown with an elaborate network of embroided silver thread that Lola had conjured in his mental lapse.

"Oh of course, you have made an excellent choice young master!" she exclaimed rather hurriedly and bewitched a goose quill to take down the necessary materials for the implementation. The illusion disappeared, which took Harry by surprise; the artifice had been brilliant. "I suppose that is all. Thank you very young master the robes will be ready by three in the afternoon and a house elf will bring them to you."

The suitcase refolded itself in a split second and Lola was ready to leave.

"Will you be coming back sometime Lola?" Harry asked as she turned to open the door. Hesitantly she twisted around to face him,

"I suppose not…Harry, I am only a temporary tailor, the court tailor has been ill of late…" she paused and an anxious expression crossed her face, "You know Harry, if you ever get to go out into London I have a shop called…" her voice faltered and dropped to a whisper, "I have a shop in Diagon Alley that you can visit. A secret shop, nothing illegal of course," her voice rose to a hearty laugh that seemed to cheerful to be genuine, "But you know Harry you mustn't tell anyone or it won't be secret any longer. You can visit me at any time of the night from today."

Suddenly Lola's eyes fixed upon Harry's forehead and he rubbed it self-consciously. She smiled nervously at the reaction and left with a brisk goodbye leaving Harry standing in the doorway feeling quite lost.

It was mid-afternoon when Harry ventured out into the gardens. His limbs had felt rather weak in the morning and sunshine he decided would help strengthen them.

An absurd voice kept popping into his head and repeating the words, _Albus believes that sunshine has a positive effect on healthy mental development_. Strange things did seem to go through his mind a lot after his illness and he did his best to suppress them.

_Father would be worried if he thought I might be going crazy. I've caused him too much trouble already._ Harry strolled aimlessly through the gardens occasionally stooping to look more closely at a particularly interesting specimen. _I hope this Mid Summer Serenade thing will be okay…I don't think I can dance but surely Father knows better than me. _There was a faint rustling in the bushes to his right and a small silvery snake appeared with bright red eyes that shone with great intensity. It was by far the most bizarre snake Harry had ever encountered and he felt sure he had seen a lot. It had a strange crescent marking under each eye that seemed to glitter in the sunlight and deep flowing grooved along its body that looked like the finishing touches to sculpture. The snake hissed rather menacingly and disappeared behind another bush.

Shaking his head slowly Harry slowly trekked back inside, bizarre snakes could be expected on such a large estate but there had been something about it that was unsettling.

Lord Voldemort had many associates and the Mid Summer Serenade was one of the most important social events of the year. It was a time for celebration, as it marked the tenth anniversary of his reign over Britain. The period had produced increases prosperity amongst the majority of the population. Trade and commerce with other parts of the world had flourished after some faltering. Small businesses were entitled to subsidies from the government to increase competition and the production of consumer goods. A cycle of prosperity had been developed in which Lord Voldemort had managed to balance the influence of the rich and powerful with the needs of the ordinary citizens.

However freedom was severely limited under the new regime but that was not much different from an average dictatorship. Opponents to the government had at first been eliminated but as the individual countries of Europe had settled into the regime, political opponents were dealt with less harshly. Criticism of the establishment was allowed as long as it was reasonable. The Daily Prophet even ran a daily column in which ordinary people could voice their concerns to the Home Secretary. However only issues that could be resolved were ever published and political dissidents were usually tried and sent to prison for life.

Due to the increased demand two new special high security prisons had been built in Transylvania. Demetors effectively ran the establishments under the overall supervision of a senior manager who was never present to sort out any "difficulties". Many prisoners lost their souls within weeks and were buried alive outside the gate; after all, Demetors had no use for those who could not express emotion. This procedure served to free up cells faster than naturally possible but there were those who were under state protection that the Demetors were not allowed to harm. These "long term" prisoners lived the life of pre-regime Azkaban inmates, most were mad and several prisoners a year committed suicide to the annoyance of the authorities. The Dark Lord always had a reason to spare someone for only the most dangerous of political dissidents were sent to Azkaban or Transylvania.

If one was to have an opinion on the authorities it would not be voiced. Such nonsense, they believed, led to investigation by the Midnight Patrol, a secret establishment that served the sole purpose of identifying and catching any serious political threat. However the government was not interested in anyone other than extreme political dissidents, usually rebels hiding in remote parts stirring up discontentment amongst the primitive locals.

In truth the regime faced little resistance in the years following the decisive victory. Officials occupied their time with the daily monotonous problems that all governments faced including regulating caldron bottoms and reducing council tax for elderly pensioners. Life was peaceful and none more so than for the rich ruling classes. Their lifestyle left nothing to be desired and certainly no grounds for rebellion. Lord Voldemort would be content if only his son would fit into his grand scheme of things.

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AN: Oh God how long since I updated…too long slaps self in the cheeks I'll be brutally honest with you I was totally dazzled by a new fandom and worked on other pieces. It's Just a Nightmare needs a revamp and a beta reader…anyone like to offer? Next chapter the Ball...can't avoid it forever 


	23. The Ball Part 1

AN: I planned to update It's Justa Nightmare over three weeks ago but the fanfiction admin team decided to freeze my account and therefore I couldn't update. So for future reference read my personal bio page and I will tell you when my account is frozen. If it is frozen again you can always read a new chapter on my website.

Enjoy and Review!

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The afternoon came all too soon and Harry sat on his bed contemplating his new clothes. They were modest dress robes, green with a silver trim. There was also a matching cloak which trailed along the floor when he tried it one. The house elf had assured him it was perfectly normal but now he was not so sure.

Supposing he tripped on the hem while at the ball? Would the other guests laugh at him? He hoped not and a clear yet confusing memory of moldy lace floated into him mind.

"Mum, you've given me Ginny's new dress," 

_"I had to buy your second hand so there wasn't much choice,"_

_"Why is everything I own rubbish!" _

The strange phrases assaulted his brain until Harry doubled over groaning in confusion. Were they his memories? But they couldn't be, his mother was dead…dead and gone so long ago. Yet somehow in the back of his mind he was sure his father was too but that was impossible.

"These thoughts are driving me crazy, perhaps it is an after effect of my illness. I must ask, father," said Harry aloud to himself. He shook his head angrily. If he didn't pull himself together soon, he would surely go insane.

Taking the folded robes he carefully put them on, taking thing to adjust the cords and button to his liking. They fitted perfectly over his silver under-tunic; Lola was a good seamstress. Look down at his garment of green velvet he felt extremely out of place already. An odd fluttery feeling entered the pit of his stomach, feeling that he could never quite get used to despite his frequent exposure to it.

Supposing there were people at the ball he was expected to know? What would he say to them? Perhaps his father would explain his amnesia so he could avoid being rude to anyone.

Mindless drivel continued to float through his brain like an eddy current.

"This is servant's stuff" "To a well organized mind…" A man was flying away on a winged creature into the darkness. 

The last memory bought an overwhelming sense of disappointment that washed over him and made him feel the raw despair again. The strange image was unfamiliar yet so touching. It pulled at his heart and ripped it to shreds, yet there was nothing he could do to console himself.

"Master must hurry up and dress," came an eager voice behind him and he turned to stare at the small skinny creature.

It was a house elf, but not the same one who had bought his clothes. The other one had been absolutely terrified of him.

"Master must hurry, ball starting very soon," squeaked the elf and Harry marveled at its bravery for even Lola had been afraid of him, initially. However it was a refreshing change from petrified looks.

"I'm coming," said Harry as he pulled on the cloak and tried his best to turn down the collar so he would look less like Dracula. For some strange reason he felt that the cloak would make him look like a vampire when he knew quite logically that vampire didn't even wear cloaks.

Feeling extremely self conscious Harry gathered his wits about him and smoothed out the non-existent creases on his robes. Perhaps he could get out of this? No, he decided, it was impossible. His father clearly expected him to attend the ball and he would be extremely disappointed if Harry didn't turn up

"Master must hurry," implored the elf. Harry signed and reluctantly moved toward the door but the elf stopped him. "No master must go by magic!" it squeaked. The tip of it's finger began to glow brightly and before Harry had mentally prepared himself for what was to come he turned head over heel and landed painfully on the hard marble floor.

It was impossible for Harry to tell whether he was still in the same building for he had not ventured very far from his room since his recovery. He appeared to be in some sort of entrance hall where over a dozen huge marble fireplaces were placed at regular intervals along the wall. The floor too was made of white marble, polished to the point that Harry could easily see his reflection in the floor.

His hair was standing up in all direction despite his best efforts to tame it with a wet comb. Somehow is did not surprise him, neither did the fact that he looked extremely uncomfortable in his dress robes. Perhaps he had always been awkward socially, it seemed to fit with his personality.

From his reflection he could also see the high vaulted ceiling with elaborate carvings.

"Master must hurry," insisted the elf, its dangling ear peaked up with excitement. Harry pulled his gaze away from the marble floor and hurried after the retreating back of the house elf.

They were walking towards two large oak doors at the end of the atrium. Even through the thick wood Harry could hear exciting mutters and classical music. _Well here goes nothing,_ he thought as he took one deep breath and prepared to push the doors open. However just as his hand touched the wood they automatically swung open with flamboyance and caused him to lurch forwards in surprise.

Three hundred pairs of eyes turned in his direction and Harry only just managed to prevent himself from falling flat on his face. He was standing on some sort of raised terrace above the main ballroom where hundreds of colourful robes swirled to the music of the full orchestra at the back of the hall. However all activity stopped when he appeared and for a brief moment Harry felt as if he were glued to the spot.

Gaining his composure once more he marched definitely towards the manservants standing on either side of the staircase that led down into the main ballroom. A distinct hush fell through the crowd and only the sound of the music carried to his ears. The two valets bowed deeply and announced in booming tones,

"His Majesty, the Prince," A huge wave of applause followed, which thankfully drowned out the sound of Harry's pounding heart. Without further a do all the guests turned back to their previous activities, dancing, laughing and drinking fine wines.

"You should proceed down to the main ballroom and approach the Dark Lord," advised one valet.

"Then you must stay with him at all times. You are still classed as a child and therefore are not allowed to dance with anyone," said the other quietly. Harry felt almost as if a huge weight was lifted from his chest. _At least now he wouldn't have to dance anymore_.

"Thank you," said Harry politely and descended the steps as quickly as possible. As soon as he joined the throng of people dancing he felt a strange sense of safety. Many girls turned around to smile at him but thankfully no one asked him to dance.

His father was visible amongst the crowd only due to his height. The Dark Lord was wearing modest robes of green and talking amicably to a very tall official.

"Ah, my son, I see you have arrive," said the Dark Lord in the way of a greeting. He gestured for Harry to come and stand next to him. "Mulciber, this is my son Alexander."

The tall dark man looked down at Harry from a height of over two feet. He was truly a giant, dwarfing even the Dark Lord. He nodded seriously and in a deep booming voice declared,

"I am most pleased and honoured to meet you, my prince," Harry stared back wondering what to say. Finally he settled for,

"I am pleased to meet you too." Voldemort laughed at his son's awkwardness and raised his goblet for a drink.

"My son is still recovering from his illness so he will no doubt be retiring a bit earlier than normal. However in the mean time I expect he will be enjoying himself," said Voldemort in a paternal tone.

"Yes, I suppose I will enjoy myself," said Harry reluctantly, feeling some of his social awkwardness slip away. Mulciber bowed as a farewell and disappeared into the crowd to meet up with a young lady.

"Harry, come other and have some appetizers," said the Dark Lord as he motioned towards the long sideboards filled with crystal plates. Most displayed exotic sweetmeats that Harry had never seen before. One plate contained translucent gold blobs, which seemed to be alive. Every now and then the blobs would extend tentacles to reach for the edge of the bowl, no doubt in an attempt to escape.

Before Harry could tear his eyes away from the sweetmeats a blonde man came into view. His thin, angular face was perfectly placid and only the grey eyes betrayed any enjoyment.

"Good afternoon, my prince, I am Draco Malfoy and this is my partner Hermione Granger,"

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AN: Oh… Hermione, you'll be seeing a lot of her later on. Hope you enjoyed it, please review. 


	24. The Ball Part 2

**AN: **A big thank you toall of you who have nagged me to continue this story. Once or twice I thought about giving it up but thanks to your encouragements, it's back on track.

Would many one like to volunteer to beta for this story?

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"_Good afternoon, my prince, I am Draco Malfoy and this is my partner Hermione Granger,"_

Perhaps in another time, another life he had known this man with bleached blonde hair and arrogant smile for Harry felt a sudden rush of emotions.

_Bitterness, yes, hatred, yes…pity…_yes.

He had hard cold eyes and angular features that spoke of cunning and intrigue not softness and love, but he was handsome in every conventional sense of the word. The robes he wore seemed to suit his demeanor well, regal and expensive the green material flowed around him with a fluidity that could only be achieved by the finest tailors.

"My Prince," a soft voice spoke out tentatively and Harry regained his senses.

"I am most please to meet you," he said stiffly as he offered his hand to be shaken by the gentleman. Malfoy took his hand and for a moment Harry almost thought he was going to squeeze it until the bones creaked but Malfoy merely shook it with calm politeness.

_I must be going mad!_, thought Harry as he withdrew his intact hand from the handshake, _why would he want to crush my hand? He's not my enemy._ Perhaps his illness was to blame for his wild and irrational thoughts as he had lost his memory, but he knew intuitively it was not so.

The lady who had spoken…Hermione Granger…was staring at him again and he felt distinctly uncomfortable for he did not know how to greet her. Shaking hands seem far too masculine a gesture and yet he could not bring himself to kiss her hand.

_I don't like her like that…_

Harry mentally jumped at the strange assertion running through his mind. _I don't like her? I don't even know who she is!_

Thankfully she must have sensed his dilemma for she curtsied gracefully and turned her gaze away to look at something behind him, it was his father.

"Good evening, Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger. It is good to see you both as vibrant as ever," commented the Dark Lord. "My son, Alexander, has recently recovered from a bout of illness, so he cannot do anything too strenuous just yet, but I assure you he is a great lover of quidditch."

_I am?_ It felt right though, and Harry let the small revelation slide away.

"I will be looking forwards to matching you on the pitch, my prince," said Malfoy politely and for a second Harry almost thought he saw Hermione Granger smirk behind her laced white gloves but the moment passed and her face remained a sculpture of benign interest.

"And how is your father, Draco?" asked the Dark Lord as he paused to take some sweetmeats from the tray beside them.

"Father, is well, France does seem to agree with him, though he does often write to say how much he misses our traditional cuisine. Mother is well too, but she is a little more homesick as you can understand."

"You have managed your estates well, Draco and I expect your parents to be pleasantly surprised when they get back." Voldemort nodded towards Hermione Granger as he said this and she blushed a little.

"Oh yes, I suppose they shall be," replied Draco smoothly and a definite smirk passed over his face.

A strange sinking feeling made itself known in the pit of Harry's stomach and he almost felt depressed. Perhaps he simply did not like the idea of Malfoy deceiving his parents. After all if they did not approve, Hermione Granger would have to leave.

"Well, Draco, Miss Granger enjoy the ball." A large hand gripped his shoulder firmly and steered him away from the retreating couple. Harry could not help but feel a sense of relief for he did not like the uncontrolled thoughts raging through him head.

He was being led into an alcove far removed from the hum-drum of the party in full swing. The giggling ladies in their bright dresses and the uptight gentlemen in their polished suits did not appeal to him so allowed his father to guide him away.

The alcove was decorated with rich textured wallpaper and two tall pilasters stood on either side of the opening giving it a grand purposeful air. The window to his left looked out into the lush green grounds now bathed in the warm glow of dusk as the sun sank slowly below the horizon. Suddenly Harry felt for the first time since he had regained consciousness a still serene peace wash over him and he relaxed, glad in the knowledge that the sunset could not provoke his subconscious thoughts.

"My son, I think you have been stressed by this party," said his father looking down at him with concerned eyes.

"I'm fine," muttered Harry unwilling to appear weak. His first public appearance after the illness should be meant to assure his father's subjects of his improvement. It would not look good if he left early.

"Alex," Harry almost started at the name, "son, your health is my first concern, not my public image…"

_Dear Lord, he can read minds! _But that was totally absurd. Reading minds belonged in children's tales, aimed to scare the dishonesty from the mischievous.

"I know," conceded Harry looking up at his father, "I just want to stay on some more, I'm actually quite hungry."

The words brought a smile to his father's lips and an appropriate feeling of warmth curled around his heart.

"That can easily be remedied, _but_ you must tell me if you feel tired or faint at anything, Alex, it would be devastating if you experienced a relapse."

The words shook him. Harry had not yet thought about how his previous life had affected his father for he had spent most of his waking hours trying desperately to suppress the strange his subconscious. Logically his action made no sense for his father _wanted _him to regain his memory, but a strong more primeval feeling had taken control and it did not tolerate his _past_ life. It was almost as if a deep abyss was lying at the bottom of the mind, just waiting for him to fall into its gaping chasm and he had to keep himself away at all costs.

_Father must have been so worried about me…I feel guilty but the illness was not my fault…why do I have all these raging emotions?_

"Son?" the worried tone pulled Harry out of his waking trance and he stared hastily back at his father.

"I…I will,"

"I don't want to keep you with me all the time because I know you want to meet some people your own age and you will be bored by my conversations, so I want you to promise me that if you are separated from me that you tell the nearest person when you feel unwell."

"I will, father, don't worry," assured Harry putting on a brave smile.

To his surprise his father reached over and patted his head affectionately.

"My wonderful boy, how I have missed you."

_What did he mean by **that**?_

The ball was in full swing as Harry made his way towards the table of refreshments at the far end of the ball room. The swirling couples looked like bright and colourful tropical birds as they swept across the dance floor. He could not see Mulciber in the fray of colour but then again a man of his bulk probably avoided such delicate activities. However Draco Malfoy was dancing…but not with Hermione. A shorter, stockier lady in pale pink robes had replaced her but by the look on Malfoy's face as he stepped past in an odd version of the tango, he was none too thrilled.

A strange giggle erupted from Harry's mouth and he almost spilt his drink in shock. _It wasn't that funny!_

A circle of oysters nestled on a bed of queer vegetables caught his eye. He knew that he had a taste for oysters, in fact his senses were telling him he _loved_ oysters. The soft pearly flesh almost made his mouth water and he took one, hoping not to seem too greedy. However the five partnerless ladies who had also gathered around his table where far more interested in gossiping behind their canary yellow fans.

He slurped happily away at the gorgeous food, until the tray was empty and he felt a tinge of embarrassment, followed predictably by a heaving stomach.

_Now I know why gluttony is a sin_.

His stomach grumbled and churned as though he was aboard a tossing ship. Taking several deep breaths he steadied himself using the table. Suddenly the air turned stuffy and hot and the pleasant music turned to a horrible roar of noise.

"_But you must tell me if you feel tired or faint at anything, Alex, it would be devastating if you experienced a relapse."_

Should he tell someone, perhaps the sickness will pass but a fresh surge of nausea pushed all the optimistic thoughts from his head. He need to tell someone.

"Ah, Ladies, will please tell my father I feel unwell," he called to the small cluster of chattering women. Suddenly a small hush fell over the group as five pairs of eyes turned to look at him. However he felt too ill to be embarrassed. "Please,"

"Of course, my prince, Lady Bones, help the prince up to his quarters,"

Surprisingly caring arms led him away from the heat and noise. The large doors were insight and Harry staggered towards them with Lady Bone's arm around his shoulders.

As the cool clean air of the outside corridor hit his face Harry instantly felt the nausea subside. Perhaps he had just been making a big fuss over nothing.

_I will definitely not be eating anymore oysters like that again._

"Are you alright, my prince?" The young lady beside him, eased him into a chair by the wall. Harry's head was becoming much clearer and he felt the embarrassment setting in.

_Oh my, I've really done it this time. Perhaps father will shut me up in my room for another week._

"I feel much better now thank you," said Harry politely, "you can go back to the party,"

"Oh no, I don't think -,"

Perhaps it was rude to interrupt such kind hearted words but Harry really did not want to dragged this scenario out any longer.

"Really, Lady Bones, I do insist. I just needed some fresh air that was all. It can get terribly muggy in there,"

"You really can't take any chances with your health, my prince," insisted Lady Bones.

"Please, my lady, I feel just fine now, besides my father will here in a minute and he'll take me to my room," said Harry.

The desire to get back to the party was too strong and Lady Bone acquiesced to his request.

"Alright, but you promise that you're alright,"

"I'm fine, my lady,"

She felt, looking back every few steps with concern.

The hallway was quiet and peaceful compared with the noise music of the ballroom. He had never thought that a room that high could feel claustrophobic. However he had recovered now but the consequences of his gluttons would be far reaching.

As he leaned back and resigned himself to his fate he heard the pattered of footsteps running along the hall.

_Oh here comes father, I wonder how I'm going to explain this._

However as the footsteps drew nearer Harry knew that they were female, light, soft and hurried. From a side corridor a hassled Hermione Granger appeared, with her petticoats lifted above her ankles.

"Harry!" she cried also with relief,

"Yes?"

A jolt of surprise struck him like lightening.

_Harry! Harry isn't my name!_ _What is going wrong with me. My name is ALEX! It's always been Alex! How…_

"Harry, you must listen carefully," insisted Hermione as she closed in on him.

"I'm sorry, my lady but I'm not-,"

"You are, you've simply forgotten!" hissed Hermione urgently as her voice dropped to a whisper.

"No, I'm –,"

"Harry you have got to believe me, you memory was wiped!"

The horrible revelation hit him like a stone and black spots appeared before his eyes. His lungs were constricting for an unknown reason and he gasped for breath.

"No, you lie!"

"Harry, please listen, your life is on the line, Voldemort wiped-,"

"Don't you dare, my father _loves me!"_ cried Harry angrily. No one insulted his father.

"No Harry he's _not your father!_ He's being lying to you,"

"N-,"

"Harry, please you are _The Boy Who Lived, The Boy Who Lived to defeat Voldemort!_"

"_Do you have…the scar?"_

"_You're Harry Potter, I've read all about you"_

"_Look it's him…next to the tall boy with red hair"_

"NO NO NO!"

His denial echoed through the corridor but even as it rang in his ears he knew it was futile.

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**AN: **Please review sorry about the cliffhanger but it was necessary. I really want to rewrite the whole story but I'd like to think the next chapter will be up next month. 


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